2021–22 Seattle Kraken season

The 2021–22 Seattle Kraken season was the inaugural season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. They played their home games at Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken played their first game on October 12, 2021, against the Vegas Golden Knights, which ended in a 4–3 loss, and played their first home game on October 23, 2021, against the Vancouver Canucks, a 4–2 loss.
On October 14, 2021, the Kraken earned their first win in franchise history after defeating the Nashville Predators 4–3. The franchise recorded its first ever shutout on February 2, 2022, defeating the New York Islanders 3–0.
The team retired the jersey number 32 on October 23, 2021, immediately before they played their first ever regular season home game, in recognition of the franchise being the 32nd to join the NHL and in honor of the 32,000 fans who placed deposits for tickets on the first possible day.
On March 30, 2022, the Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention after a 3–0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
==Standings==
===Divisional standings===
===Conference standings===
==Schedule and results==
===Preseason===
The preseason schedule was announced on July 9, 2021. With Climate Pledge Arena not scheduled to open until mid-October, the Kraken instead played their home preseason games at three different WHL arenas in Washington. On September 26, 2021, the Kraken beat the Vancouver Canucks 5–3, giving them their first preseason win in franchise history.
2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Arena 	Attendance 	Record 	Recap
1 	September 26 	Vancouver 	3–5 	Seattle 	 	Driedger 	Spokane Arena 	10,208 	1–0–0 	
2 	September 28 	Seattle 	0–6 	Edmonton 	 	Driedger 	Rogers Place 	13,627 	1–1–0 	
3 	September 29 	Seattle 	4–3 	Calgary 	SO 	Daccord 	Scotiabank Saddledome 	14,451 	2–1–0 	
4 	October 1 	Edmonton 	1–2 	Seattle 	OT 	Daccord 	Angel of the Winds Arena 	— 	3–1–0 	
5 	October 2 	Calgary 	4–1 	Seattle 	 	Driedger 	accesso ShoWare Center 	— 	3–2–0 	
6 	October 5 	Seattle 	4–0 	Vancouver 	 	Grubauer 	Rogers Arena 	9,268 	4–2–0 	
===Regular season===
The regular season schedule was released on July 22, 2021, with only about a handful of games scheduled in February because NHL players are planning to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"	
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;"
October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)	October: 3–5–1 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–3–1)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Pts 	Recap
1 	October 12 	Seattle 	3–4 	Vegas 	 	Grubauer 	18,431 	0–1–0 	0 	
2 	October 14 	Seattle 	4–3 	Nashville 	 	Grubauer 	17,159 	1–1–0 	2 	
3 	October 16 	Seattle 	1–2 	Columbus 	OT 	Grubauer 	17,593 	1–1–1 	3 	
4 	October 18 	Seattle 	1–6 	Philadelphia 	 	Grubauer 	17,727 	1–2–1 	3 	
5 	October 19 	Seattle 	2–4 	New Jersey 	 	Daccord 	13,806 	1–3–1 	3 	
6 	October 23 	Vancouver 	4–2 	Seattle 	 	Grubauer 	17,151 	1–4–1 	3 	
7 	October 26 	Montreal 	1–5 	Seattle 	 	Grubauer 	17,151 	2–4–1 	5 	
8 	October 28 	Minnesota 	1–4 	Seattle 	 	Grubauer 	17,151 	3–4–1 	7 	
9 	October 31 	NY Rangers 	3–1 	Seattle 	 	Grubauer 	17,151 	3–5–1 	7 	
==Player statistics==
===Skaters===
Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	
 	74	27	23	50	−26	33
 	74	21	27	48	−13	45
 	79	21	23	44	−28	14
 	80	11	26	37	−26	28
 	73	7 	28	35	−21	63
 	74	16	15	31	−13	40
‡ 	49	12	14	26	−15	2
 	82	8 	17	25	−23	55
 	37	8 	15	23	−13	14
‡ 	55	6 	17	23	−21	47
‡ 	51	6 	17	23	−22	4
 	73	7 	15	22	−16	18
 	75	2 	20	22	−10	14
 	64	10	11	21	+7 	47
‡ 	39	8 	9 	17	+1 	4
‡ 	49	6 	11	17	−4 	14
 	69	4 	13	17	+6 	2
 	72	1 	16	17	−1 	54
 	30	9 	6 	15	+4 	13
 	10	3 	6 	9 	−1 	0
† 	18	4 	4 	8 	−3 	0
 	36	2 	6 	8 	+1 	28
 	23	2 	6 	8 	−1 	12
† 	25	2 	6 	8 	−2 	6
† 	16	6 	0 	6 	−6 	0
‡ 	53	1 	5 	6 	−9 	67
 	36	2 	2 	4 	0 	13
† 	9 	0 	3 	3 	+6 	2
 	12	1 	1 	2 	−1 	31
† 	6 	0 	2 	2 	0 	0
† 	4 	0 	2 	2 	+1 	0
† 	2 	0 	1 	1 	0 	0
 	10	0 	0 	0 	+1 	10
 	9 	0 	0 	0 	−3 	0
 	8 	0 	0 	0 	−2 	2
===Goaltenders===
Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	55	54	3,111:25	18	31	5	164	3.16	1,479	.889	2	0	1	0
 	27	24	1,478:24	9 	14	1	73 	2.96	722 	.899	1	0	0	4
 	5 	4 	293:13 	0 	4 	0	21 	4.30	140 	.850	0	0	0	0
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Kraken. Stats reflect time with the Kraken only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Kraken only.
==Player awards==
After their final home game on April 29, the Kraken announced the inaugural winners of their player awards for the season.
Jared McCann won the Pete Muldoon Award for the Kraken's most valuable player, as voted on by Seattle-area media. Philipp Grubauer won the Three Stars of the Year Award for having accrued the most stars of any player using a point system for stars at home games. Yanni Gourde won the Guyle Fielder Award as the teammate who best exemplified "perseverence, hustle and dedication" as voted upon by his teammates and coaches. Gourde also won the Fan Favorite Award, determined by a fan vote.
==Transactions==
The Kraken have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021–22 season.
===Trades===
Date	Details 	Details 	Ref
 	To Calgary FlamesTyler Pitlick 	To Seattle Kraken4th-round pick in 2022 	
 	To Colorado AvalancheKurtis MacDermid 	To Seattle Kraken4th-round pick in 2023 	
 	To Washington CapitalsVitek Vanecek 	To Seattle Kraken2nd-round pick in 2023 	
 	To Calgary FlamesCalle Jarnkrok 	To Seattle KrakenFLA 2nd-round pick in 20223rd-round pick in 20237th-round pick in 2024	
 	To Toronto Maple LeafsMark GiordanoColin Blackwell	To Seattle Kraken2nd-round pick in 20222nd-round pick in 20234th-round pick in 2024 	
 	To Nashville PredatorsJeremy Lauzon 	To Seattle Kraken2nd-round pick in 2022 	
 	To Winnipeg JetsMason Appleton 	To Seattle Kraken4th-round pick in 2023 	
 	To Washington CapitalsMarcus Johansson 	To Seattle KrakenDaniel Sprong4th-round pick in 20226th-round pick in 2022 	
===Players acquired===
Date	Player 	Former team 	Term 	Via 	Ref
 	Luke Henman 	Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)	3-year	Free agency	
 	Philipp Grubauer 	Colorado Avalanche 	6-year	Free agency	
 	Jaden Schwartz 	St. Louis Blues 	5-year	Free agency	
 	Alexander Wennberg	Florida Panthers 	3-year	Free agency	
 	Connor Carrick 	New Jersey Devils 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Marcus Johansson 	Minnesota Wild 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Antoine Bibeau 	Carolina Hurricanes 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Gustav Olofsson 	Montreal Canadiens 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Riley Sheahan 	Buffalo Sabres 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Ryan Donato 	San Jose Sharks 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Max McCormick 	Carolina Hurricanes 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Alex Barre-Boulet 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	 	Waivers 	
 	Austin Czarnik 	New York Islanders 	 	Waivers 	
 	Dennis Cholowski 	Washington Capitals 	 	Waivers 	
 	Tye Kartye 	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) 	3-year	Free agency	
 	Derrick Pouliot 	Vegas Golden Knights 	 	Waivers 	
 	Peetro Seppala 	KooKoo (Liiga) 	3-year	Free agency	
===Players lost===
Date	Player 	New team 	Term 	Via 	Ref
 	Gavin Bayreuther 	Columbus Blue Jackets	2-year	Free agency	
 	John Quenneville 	ZSC Lions (NL) 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Dennis Cholowski 	Washington Capitals 	 	Waivers 	
 	Alex Barre-Boulet	Tampa Bay Lightning 	 	Waivers 	
 	Nathan Bastian 	New Jersey Devils 	 	Waivers 	
===Signings===
Date	Player 	Term 	Contract type	Ref
 	Chris Driedger 	3-year	Re-signing 	
 	Adam Larsson 	4-year	Re-signing 	
 	Jamie Oleksiak 	5-year	Re-signing 	
 	Alexander True 	1-year	Re-signing 	
 	William Borgen 	2-year	Re-signing 	
 	Vince Dunn 	2-year	Re-signing 	
 	Cale Fleury 	1-year	Re-signing 	
 	Carsen Twarynski	1-year	Re-signing 	
 	Dennis Cholowski	1-year	Re-signing 	
 	Jared McCann 	5-year	Extension 	
 	Matty Beniers 	3-year	Entry-level 	
 	Ryker Evans 	3-year	Entry-level 	
==Draft picks==
===Expansion draft===
Seattle filled its roster by selecting players in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. The 2021 draft used the same rules as the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft did for the Vegas Golden Knights. The Kraken had to select or sign one player from each existing team except for Vegas. Teams opted to protect some of their players against being drafted.
===Entry draft===
Before the draft lottery, the Kraken were given the same odds as the team with the third worst point total from 2020–21 season, which meant that they would not draft any lower than fifth overall and would draft third in each subsequent round. On June 2, 2021, the Kraken received a second overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft during the draft lottery.
Below are the Seattle Kraken's selections at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on July 23 and 24, 2021, virtually via video conference call from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Round	# 	Player 	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 	2 	Matty Beniers 	C 	 	Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten)
2 	35 	Ryker Evans 	D 	 	Regina Pats (WHL)
3 	67 	Ryan Winterton 	C 	 	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
4 	99 	Ville Ottavainen	D 	 	JYP (Liiga)
5 	131	Jacob Melanson 	RW 	 	Acadie–Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)
6 	163	Semyon Vyazovoi 	G 	 	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
7 	195	Justin Janicke 	LW 	 	U.S. NTDP (USHL)
==References==
Category:Seattle Kraken seasons
Seattle