The Seattle Kraken have announced that Andre Burakovsky, Matty Beniers, and Vince Dunn will not play in the team’s afternoon matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins today.
The decision came as a surprise to many as those three are some of the most important pieces in the organisation. It’s possible the move was made due to injuries but from the lack of comment from head coach Dave Hakstol, it’s hard to say. Beniers has taken a step back in his overall game from last season. So far, he has 19 points in 42 games which puts him on an 82-game pace for 37 points, a 20-point drop from last year’s production.
Dunn, however, is having a remarkable season as he leads the Kraken in scoring with 35 points in his first 42 games. He’s on pace to beat his personal best of 64 points which he notched last season. Burakovsky is the one that has dealt with the most adversity this year. He only played 13 games so far and scored five points in that span. He’s dealt with injuries and overall poor play at the same time. The team hopes he regains his form from last season as they’re paying him $5.5 million annually through the 2026-27 season.
The Kraken find themselves right on the cusp of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference as they’ve won their last nine games in a row. They hope to make the playoffs for the second straight year and keep building towards the eventual goal of bringing the Stanley Cup to Seattle, much like Vegas did.
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