2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: Seattle Kraken
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies.
| Anaheim Ducks | Columbus Blue Jackets | Nashville Predators | Seattle Kraken |
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| Colorado Avalanche | Montreal Canadiens | San Jose Sharks | Winnipeg Jets |
In addition to the Fantasy Hockey Previews, Daily Faceoff is previewing all 32 NHL teams for 2022-23, with a new in-depth breakdown dropping every weekday! Click here to find every preview in one place.
Skaters
Andre Burakovsky
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 76.9 | 25.4 | 38.7 | 64.1 | -7.0 | 20.8 | 4.7 | 15.3 | 155.8 | 16.3% | 17.1 | 7.1 | 34.0 | 44.7 |
2022 may very well go down as the year of Andre Burakovsky. After posting career highs in goals (22), assists (39), and shots (149), the Russian winger enjoyed eight points in a successful 12-game playoff stint on the way to winning his second Stanley cup. He followed that by signing a 5 year, $27.5M contract with the Kraken and solidifying himself as one of their top players for years to come. No longer with the help of the Avalanche and their powerful offence, the 27-year-old will be one of the go-to guys for the first time in his career. Seattle’s offence should be much better with the additions of Burakovsky, Oliver Bjorkstrand and a full season of Matty Beniers. However, Kraken skaters aren’t getting a lot of respect in fantasy drafts right now, so Burakovsky is an excellent sleeper at his current ADP (158.7).
Oliver Bjorkstrand
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 74.9 | 25.8 | 27.6 | 53.4 | -9.9 | 19.1 | 5.3 | 12.2 | 199.2 | 13.0% | 17.6 | 8.1 | 31.4 | 69.4 |
After a shocking deal in July, Bjorkstrand finds himself one of two new main men in Seattle a year after leading the Blue Jackets in goals and finishing second in team points. A lot of his success can be attributed to him topping 200 shots (215) for the first time in his career and a career-best 19 power-play points. In Seattle, he’ll likely be leaned on more heavily than ever, which could lead to him besting those totals in 2022-23. Bjorkstand is rarely considered at the end of the draft right now (163 ADP and only 4% drafted), but he has breakout potential if he lands on the Kraken’s top line with Beniers and Burakovsky. Even if he doesn’t take the next step, he seems to have a solid 30-30 floor, which is tough to find at the end of the draft.
Matty Beniers
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 75.1 | 20.1 | 38.1 | 58.2 | -5.6 | 8.3 | 6.7 | 18.1 | 148.8 | 13.5% | 17.2 | 295.7 | 32.1 | 58.5 |
Beniers enters 2022-23 near the top of the Calder Trophy Odds (+550) after he put up an impressive nine points (3G / 6A) in his first 10 NHL games. Getting the call after posting 67 points (30G / 37A) in 61 career NCAA games with the University of Michigan, Beniers showcased what made him go No.2 overall in the 2021 Entry Draft. Beniers is a high-ceiling late pick in fantasy drafts; however, only two rookies have had 70-plus points since 2010 (Mathew Barzal in 2018 and Artemi Panarin in 2016), so limit your expectations. Beniers makes a great Dynasty league pick but topping 60 points may be difficult for the soon-to-be 20-year-old.
Yanni Gourde
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 79.5 | 22.1 | 28.9 | 51.0 | -4.1 | 55.1 | 3.2 | 8.4 | 152.8 | 14.4% | 18.5 | 433.9 | 32.1 | 84.7 |
Gourde’s first season with the Kraken was somewhat of a success. With 20 points (8G / 12A) in his first 26 games to start the 2021-22 season, Gourde looked like he could be one of few Kraken that deserved a spot on fantasy rosters early on. Unfortunately, a slow second half brought his numbers back closer to his career averages. Gourde’s 20/20 production resulted directly from a career-high in ATOI (18:29). Gourde’s usage dropped a bit after Beniers arrived in Seattle, so expect him to settle in back closer to 17 minutes per night. Since his breakout in 2018, Gourde has averaged 21 goals and 27 assists per 82 games. That’s what you can expect from him in 2022-23, so let him start the season on the waiver wire and add him if he gets off to another hot start.
Jared McCann
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 74.1 | 24.3 | 25.5 | 49.8 | -5.2 | 25.7 | 7.8 | 14.7 | 189.4 | 12.8% | 16.2 | 221.7 | 30.8 | 75.9 |
McCann was one of the few bright spots in the Kraken’s inaugural season. Leading the Kraken in points, McCann set career-highs in goals (27), assists (23), points (50), shots (199), ATOI (16:08), and power-play goals (8). It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to improve on his goal total, but his assist numbers could improve. His 8.9 on-ice SH% has room to grow, especially if he ends up on a line with some of the Kraken’s more talented players.
Vince Dunn
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 75.1 | 9.8 | 27.7 | 37.5 | -9.6 | 53.2 | 3.3 | 12.9 | 144.7 | 6.8% | 21.3 | 0.0 | 86.1 | 76.8 |
Dunn was a popular breakout pick entering the 2021-22 season, but he ended up tying his previous career high with 35 points (7G / 28A) in 73 games. While he only flirted with fantasy relevance throughout the season, there is a reason for optimism entering 2022-23. His usage skyrocketed after Mark Giordano was traded, closing the season with nine assists in 15 games while averaging 23:22 TOI/gm. Additionally, he should be quarterbacking the top power-play unit that added some firepower in the offseason. As a result, you can add Dunn as your No.4 or No.5 defenseman in the last few rounds of your draft.
Jaden Schwartz
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 70.5 | 16.9 | 28.5 | 45.3 | -6.3 | 26.7 | 4.3 | 10.6 | 162.6 | 10.4% | 18.2 | 21.1 | 31.8 | 70.1 |
Schwartz’s first season in Seattle proved to be much of the same as he missed at least 15 percent of the games for the fourth time in five years. His eight goals tied his lowest total since 2012-13, while his minus-13 rating was a career-worst. In back-to-back injury-plagued seasons, Schwartz has averaged just 17 goals and 30 assists (47 points) per 82 games. Look for more of the same as he attempts to play 72 or more games for the first time in six seasons. A 45-point year should be expected in 2022-23 from the 30-year-old winger.
Jordan Eberle
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.1 | 21.1 | 24.5 | 45.7 | -8.5 | 18.0 | 3.9 | 10.1 | 168.5 | 12.5% | 17.7 | 5.3 | 36.5 | 46.1 |
Eberle surpassed the 20-goal (21) and 40-point (44) plateau for the first time since 2017-18. Unfortunately, he is no longer a lock for 25 goals and 60 points like he once was, as he hasn’t achieved similar numbers in five years. The additions of Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand could push Eberle down the depth chart a bit, further clouding his upside in 2023. He’ll be left undrafted but could make a decent pick-up if he ends up producing early in the season.
Goalies
Phillip Grubauer
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 51.0 | 24.2 | 22.4 | 5.9 | 0.907 | 2.73 | 3.3 |
Grubauer’s first season as a full-time starter in Seattle could not have gone much worse than it did. Fresh off of signing a 6-year/ $35.4M contract, Grubauer entered the season with high expectations as he looked to surpass 40 games played for the first time in his career. He accomplished that feat (55 GP) but finished with the worst Win%, SV% (.889), and GAA (3.16) of his career. Grubauer decimated fantasy owners all season as he ranked last in the entire NHL in SV% and the 12th worst GAA. The Kraken were among the better defensive teams in the NHL, ranking 11th in all situations xGA/60 (2.82), so there’s reason to expect Grubauer to bounce back in 2022-23. Before last season, he had a career .920 SV%, so an .889 SV% is certainly not indicative of his true goaltending ability. With Martin Jones as his backup, Grubauer should have a long leash.
Martin Jones
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 26.0 | 13.4 | 14.4 | 3.7 | 0.897 | 3.04 | 1.3 |
The Kraken brought Jones in on a one-year deal worth $2 million this offseason after Chris Driedger tore his right ACL during the third period at the IIHF World Championships. With Driedger expected to be out until at least mid-January, Jones will serve as the Kraken’s No.2 behind Grubauer. Jones has an .897 SV% over the last four seasons (172 games), so he’ll only be a spot-start option for owners in dire situations.
Remaining Kraken Projections
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Alex Wennberg | C | 77.4 | 12.5 | 20.8 | 33.3 | -9.6 | 21.1 | 2.3 | 6.3 | 92.5 | 13.5% | 16.7 | 489.9 | 41.4 | 40.5 |
| Brandon Tanev | LW | 72.0 | 15.5 | 15.7 | 31.2 | -8.3 | 28.9 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 106.1 | 14.6% | 14.4 | 4.7 | 61.0 | 248.1 |
| Joonas Donskoi | RW | 76.5 | 10.5 | 19.1 | 29.6 | -7.9 | 17.4 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 101.1 | 10.3% | 14.3 | 8.7 | 34.3 | 32.3 |
| Justin Schultz | D | 72.4 | 4.4 | 23.1 | 27.5 | -11.4 | 16.6 | 1.2 | 7.6 | 103.1 | 4.3% | 18.5 | 0.0 | 83.1 | 47.1 |
| Carson Soucy | D | 71.3 | 8.2 | 15.7 | 23.9 | 4.7 | 55.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 98.1 | 8.4% | 18 | 0.0 | 81.2 | 116.3 |
| Morgan Geekie | C | 73.0 | 7.5 | 14.4 | 21.9 | -8.7 | 25.7 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 90.1 | 8.3% | 12.4 | 320.5 | 22.3 | 62.9 |
| Adam Larsson | D | 81.0 | 6.3 | 13.9 | 20.2 | -11.6 | 50.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 107.3 | 5.8% | 21.8 | 0.3 | 152.0 | 197.3 |
| Jamie Oleksiak | D | 78.5 | 4.0 | 14.4 | 18.4 | -2.3 | 53.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 108.0 | 3.7% | 19.7 | 0.0 | 100.3 | 193.9 |
| Will Borgen | D | 73.7 | 3.3 | 10.1 | 13.4 | -6.3 | 29.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 90.7 | 3.6% | 16.1 | 0.0 | 76.5 | 177.1 |