SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 23: A general view of the Space Needle as the Seattle Kraken team flag is hung from above on July 23, 2020. Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

NHL's Seattle Kraken have 51,000 fans on season-ticket holder waitlist

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 8/5/20

The NHL's expansion franchise in Seattle is going to be a hit. Quite frankly, it already is.

The Seattle Kraken have become the NHL's 32nd franchise, and they've devoured the Vegas Golden Knights to become the league's best-selling expansion franchise ever, according to information from Fanatics obtained by ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

Seattle revealed their official team name last month, and since then are responsible for two of the top-three selling products across all Fanatics websites.

A legend from the deep awakens.

Meet the Seattle Kraken → https://t.co/to5BtVVPh1 pic.twitter.com/FQfOdaiGQQ
— Seattle Kraken (@NHLSeattle_) July 23, 2020

can't wait until these officially drop @adidashockey! pic.twitter.com/HA6tp8USE0
— Seattle Kraken (@NHLSeattle_) July 23, 2020

According to Kaplan, the Kraken report that since their name was revealed, they have a 35 % increase in their season ticker-holder waiting list. The total, originally at 39,000 fans, has skyrocketed to 51,000 on the wait list.

The NHL awarded Seattle a franchise in 2018 for a $650 million expansion fee, which is a record. The Golden Knights payed $500 million.

The Kraken are set to begin play during the 2021-22 NHL season, playing at a refurbished arena that the Seattle SuperSonics used to call home many years ago.

Before awarding Seattle a franchise, the NHL reportedly considered putting a team in Houston, Quebec City and Portland.

More must-reads: