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Nov 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen (20) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Kraken Emerging as Top Team in Pacific Division

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Nov 18, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Seattle Kraken are emerging as a threat in the Pacific Division. The team is off to a strong start, with a 9-4-5 record in their first 18 games and currently hold a playoff position in the Western Conference.

The start is a surprise to many, but are the Kraken legitimate? There's plenty of reason for optimism in Seattle as they emerge as a contender in the West.

Defense Wins Out

The Kraken are playing rock-solid team defense to begin this season, and it's the main reason for the team's strong start. Through the first quarter of the regular season, they are allowing 2.67 goals per game, the sixth-best mark in the NHL.

And this comes despite having the fourth-worst penalty killing group and a bottom-half of the league power play unit.

This means that the Kraken are shutting things down at even strength. In 18 games, they've surrendered a total of 48 goals, 27 of which have come when playing 5-on-5.

A huge reason for their success is the entire team's buy-in to the defensive structure. Their forwards are constantly backtracking into the defensive zone to provide support for the defensemen. Because of that support, they can neutralize odd-man rushes and provide insulation for the goaltenders.

Shot Blockers

That also allows the defense to be aggressive at the blue line and create takeaways. If that fails, the defensemen can settle back into their positions with forward support. This also allows them to block shots like their lives depended on it.

According to MoneyPuck's game data, the Kraken have multiple defensemen regularly blocking shots. Four of their defenders, Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, Brandon Montour and Ryan Lindgren, are averaging over 1.0 blocked shots per game.

Trustworthy Goaltending

The success of the Kraken depends largely on their goaltending, and thankfully for Seattle, they have a trustworthy stable of goalies on their roster. Number one net minder Joey Daccord is pushing for a spot on the United States' Winter Olympics team next February, and he's making a strong case this season. In his first 11 starts, he's posted a record of 6-2-3 with one shutout, a .900 save percentage and a 2.83 goals-against average.

Currently. he's been out with an upper-body injury. That could derail a team, but the Kraken have two other veteran options to turn to. Phillip Grubauer, who had the worst season of his NHL career last season, has bounced back admirably this year. He's 3-0-1 in five appearances and currently sports a three-game winning streak.

Alongside him is former two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray. The 31-year-old former star goalie is 0-2-1 in four starts, but he's been excellent despite going winless. He has yet to allow more than three goals in a start this year, and he's posted a GAA of 2.21 and a .921 save percentage. He also left a recent game, but the team is hopeful he will return to the ice quickly.

Waiting for Reinforcements

What's made this start even more impressive is the fact that they don't have their top-scoring forward in the lineup. Winger Jared McCann has only played five games this season, recording three goals and four points in those contests, but hasn't been in action since an early October game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The team is also waiting for key contributors like Ryker Evans, Frederick Gaudreau and Kaapo Kakko to return from injury, which will only boost the team's ability to produce and improve their team defense.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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