(Quebec) Who, at this time last year, thought the Seattle Kraken would make the playoffs? And who, even more audaciously, predicted the club would beat the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round?
In order: almost no one, and no one.
We understand better why Yanni Gourde smiles when it comes to expectations of his team.
“Expectations, we wouldn’t need to have any: we’re going to play hockey, and that’ll do what it does,” he said last week on the sidelines of the ProAm Gagné-Bergeron match. charity event held at the Videotron Center in Quebec City.
The Florida Panthers obviously took that claim to the extreme last June, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals after making the playoffs at the last minute. But the Kraken delivered their own masterclass as they moved on to a Western Conference Finals victory.
“We’ve really made progress from our first year. It’s exciting to see that,” Gourde said.
The term “progress” is probably not strong enough in the circumstances. In just its second year of existence, the Kraken have collected 100 points in the standings, 40 more than in their inaugural campaign. Also, no one in the entire NHL has scored more 5-on-5 goals (209).
Was the 31-year-old Quebecer, an early member of the Kraken, surprised to see this success come so quickly, especially after a difficult first season?
“Yes and no,” he replied. From the first year, we wanted to perform well. We tried to give ourselves an identity, that’s what was most important to us. We found a way to be successful in this league, a way to play to be effective. We continued into our second season, and it worked.
“I think that was our strong point. We never drifted too much from the way we played well. »
A telling statistic on this subject: all phases of play combined, last season, the Kraken finished fourth in the most prolific offenses in the league, behind the Buffalo Sabers, the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers. However, no one in Seattle has broken into the top 50 scorers on the circuit. Jared McCann, with his 70 points, will never be confused with Connor McDavid or David Pastrnak.
However, the recipe worked, and not just a little. Over the past year, good players have joined the Kraken – Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky, Eeli Tolvanen – but no big stars have been found. Matty Beniers will be one before long, but for now, it is above all the esprit de corps of this group that has made its success.
The challenge now will be to maintain that level of performance.
“Both individually and collectively, we always want to go further, set new goals,” Gourde said. That’s why hockey is fun: there are always things to improve. As a team, we want to have a better season. »
If Gourde talks so passionately about the playoffs, it’s probably because it’s the time of year when he thrives the most. He proved that in 2020 with 14 points in 25 games in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup conquest. And he confirmed it last spring by taking the Kraken’s leading scorer with 13 points in just 14 games – a pace well above his already very respectable 48 points during the season.
Why this series explosion? asked a reporter.
“That’s a good question, I’m not sure,” he replied, embarrassed. The games are more important, there is more at stake. I try not to change my game too much, I want to keep it simple. In the playoffs, he doesn’t just score beautiful goals. These are goals that you have to work really hard for. It’s the way I try to play in the season, and it helps in the playoffs, I guess. »
That’s probably a good guess. That Yanni Gourde will be happy to check again if the Kraken picks up where it left off.
