After partaking in postseason hockey in their sophomore campaign of 2022-23, many problems plagued the franchise in its attempt to write a sequel to a good story in 2023-24. Key players missed time due to injuries, the scoring touch evaporated, and there were nights late in the season when the Seattle Kraken didn’t look like they had it in them to put up a decent fight. Today we look at bounce-back candidates. These are individuals who, should they perform as they once did, will help make 2024-25 a more worthwhile season in Seattle. Let’s discuss.
Matty Beniers
At the time of writing, Matty Beniers remains the only Seattle player to represent the club for any type of NHL award. In the summer of 2023, the Massachusetts native was awarded the Calder Trophy for his efforts in 2022-23. He was terrific that season, netting 24 goals and assisting 33 others for a solid 57-point tally in 80 contests. What’s more, he finished with an honourable plus-14 during the regular season. He then put up seven points in the playoffs (a trio of goals and four helpers) in 14 matches.
An analogous example would be a band or music artist striving to follow an incredibly successful debut album but can’t reach the same artistic heights. Such was the case of Beniers’ 2023-24, during which he finished with 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points in 77 games. The resplendent plus/minus of the prior season dropped to minus-11. The pressure of following up on an award-worthy rookie campaign surely snakes its way into a player’s psyche and plays mind games.
Related: 4 Dark Horse NHL Teams to Watch in 2024-25
Consider past winners: Mortiz Seider (2022), Kirill Kaprizov (2021), Cale Makar (2020), Elias Pettersson (2019), Matthew Barzal (2018), Auston Matthews (2017), Artemi Panarin (2016), and Aaron Ekblad (2015). Not all of them avoided sophomore slumps, but they were either minor or lasted barely a season. Years removed from those sensational rookie seasons, no one doubts how good Matthews, Makar, Pettersson, or Kaprizov are.
Is Beniers as consistent as them? The 2024-25 season will start answering that question.
Vince Dunn
Last season was an unfortunate and frustrating one for Vince Dunn. His lower production was not entirely his fault. He missed a total of 23 matches for a variety of injury reasons, most notably a neck injury against the Calgary Flames in March. As the Kraken slithered toward the end of their regular season…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…