Commentary: Kraken’s ceiling will be set by their ability to develop their young stars

SEATTLE – As he stood in a sweaty practice jersey – on the precipice, perhaps, of a permanent stay – Shane Wright was asked what it’s like to be the old guy at Kraken rookie camp.

“I don’t really feel like the old guy,” Wright, with fuzzy facial hair, said with a laugh Sept. 12. “Obviously it’s my third camp here, so I try to be a mentor, be a bit of a leader for the younger guys coming in and kind of help them out, help them through the process of coming into camp here. But I don’t really feel old. I still feel like one of the younger guys.”

As he should.

For fans, it only feels like Wright has been considered a phenom forever, the future of a franchise also exiting its infancy. After sliding to the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NHL draft, the Burlington, Ontario, native made Kraken cameos in each of the last two campaigns – notably notching four goals in five games late last season.

After adding experience via stints with the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires (15 goals, 37 points in 20 games in 2022-23) and American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds (22 goals, 47 points in 59 games in 2023-24), Wright might be ready to stick in Seattle.

But he doesn’t have to carry the Kraken (yet).

The truth is, he’s 20.

The truth is, new coach Dan Bylsma’s tenure will be defined by his ability to mine diamonds from a farm system overflowing with promising draft picks.

But for now, the Kraken’s old guys – er, older guys – better bridge the gap.

After sputtering to a 34-35-13 record and 81 points while missing the playoffs in 2023-24, the Kraken signed a pair of established talents in center Chandler Stephenson and defenseman Brandon Montour to deliver scoring depth and stabilize an established core.

With reinforcements, that core – Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn, Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky, Yanni Gourde, Eeli Tolvanen, Brandon Tanev and Adam Larsson – better score.

After pumping out a 11.6% shooting percentage (second in the NHL) and 3.52 goals per game (fourth) in 2022-23, those statistics slipped to 9.1% (29th) and 2.61 goals per game (27th) last season. After he fired third-year coach Dave Hakstol and replaced him with Coachella Valley bench boss Bylsma in May, Kraken general manager Ron Francis noted: “Our offense certainly fell off. So we need to find a way to tweak some things in the offensive zone to get offense back.”

If only it was that easy.

Still, on paper, the Kraken have ample firepower to produce their second postseason appearance.

Anything less would be a failure for the fourth-year franchise and its fans.

“I think the expectation is absolutely to be in the playoffs. Anything below that is a disappointment for our group,” said Beniers, who finished with 15 goals and 37 points in 2023-24. “We’ve got some new guys around the room, but we’ve got a solid core group that’s been around for some time now. The new guys are only going to help us.”

A playoff push also requires continued improvement from 28-year-old goaltender Joey Daccord, who finished fifth in the NHL in save percentage (.916) and sixth in goals against per game (2.46) in 2023-24.

“He just keeps getting better,” said Bylsma, who also worked with Daccord in Coachella Valley. “That’s really kind of his strength as a goalie: he keeps working to get better over and over and over again.

“He had some success last season. He knows that. We know that. But he also wants more, is working to get more and working to have his game be even better than it was last year. That’s really the strength of Joey as a goalie.”

It’s also, Seattle hopes, the beauty of Bylsma – the 54-year-old former Stanley Cup winner’s ability to maximize emerging talent. While veterans such as McCann, Stephenson, Montour, Eberle, etc., might well carry the Kraken to the playoffs in 2025, the franchise’s ceiling will ultimately be set by its success in building stars.

Can Bylsma unlock Beniers, after the 21-year-old former No. 2 overall pick claimed the Calder Trophy in 2023 … then slogged through a sophomore slump?

Can he help Wright – the youngest old guy at rookie camp – carve a consistent role?

Can he blend the present and future into a winning product that frustrated fans will pay to see?

Bylsma’s not about to make public promises.

Not those ones, anyway.

“We’re going to be skating. We’re going to be up and down the sheet. We’re going to play with pace and speed,” said Bylsma, who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. “We’re going to be uber- and ultracompetitive doing it.”

The result, one hopes, is meaningful hockey that stretches into next summer – a prolonged playoff push. It’s a sustainable product fueled by former prospects and invaluable veterans. It’s a hot start for a team that dropped five of its first six games last season. It’s a foundation of developing diamonds.

It’s a ceiling beyond the stars.