SEATTLE (AP) 鈥� Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke gave an update to a on Wednesday, saying the Kraken have talked with a number of individuals and firms about using their services in the near future.
The team is looking for ways Seattle can improve as a franchise after failing to make the postseason for a third consecutive year.
Whoever the Kraken decide to work with, Leiweke said, they will do so alongside general manager Jason Botterill, who is now the sole decision-maker after .
鈥淗e鈥檚 not threatened by it, he鈥檚 encouraging it,鈥� Leiweke said of Botterill. 鈥淭he report will land on the owner鈥檚 desk. And, it鈥檚 really not going to look just at the near term.”
Leiweke said the report will look back over the team’s five year history and offer suggestions for improvement. The Kraken have only been in the playoffs once since joining the league.
One area that could have used improvement this season was offense.
The Kraken scored the fifth-fewest goals and no player finished with more than 55 points. Captain Jordan Eberle led Seattle with 26 goals.
鈥淚f you look at anything where we could have a big, incremental improvement,鈥� Botterill said, 鈥渋t would be just our offense. And, creating more offense. And, a big part of that鈥檚 not just things in the offensive zone. But, it鈥檚 being sharper from a defensive standpoint.鈥�
Seattle goalie Joey Daccord took a step back after a couple solid seasons, though Botterill was adamant netminding was not the issue in the Emerald City. Backup Philipp Grubauer was strong between the pipes whenever he was called upon after a couple of down years.
Botterill and coach Lane Lambert both agreed that Seattle鈥檚 power play also needs to improve. Though the Kraken were tied for 19th at converting on the power play (19.5%), they scored just six power-play goals in 26 games after the Olympic break. Seattle won only seven of those games.
鈥淭he power play, from my standpoint, we鈥檝e got to move the puck quicker and we鈥檝e got to put more pucks towards the net,鈥� Lambert said last week. 鈥淧enalty killing was (also) a problem all year.鈥�
To Lambert鈥檚 point, only the Vancouver Canucks had a less effective penalty kill. After his , Lambert took issue with more than just Seattle鈥檚 play on the ice.
Whenever Seattle faced adversity during the regular season, the defensive-minded coach felt the team struggled to bounce back.
鈥淚 thought our team was a little fragile at times,鈥� Lambert said. 鈥淲e run on confidence, as do most teams, but this team here really runs high on confidence. And, when you lack it, struggles happen.鈥�
The Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention on April 11, just three days after Francis . And now, Leiweke is turning to an internal audit just as he has with other professional sports franchises.
鈥淚鈥檝e yet to get hired somewhere where everything was running perfectly,鈥� Leiweke said. 鈥淎nd, this situation for the last eight years has (been) as great a challenge as I鈥檝e ever had in my career. But, there were challenges with the (Seattle) Seahawks. There were certainly challenges with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And, occasionally, periodically, getting fresh perspectives is super helpful, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to do.鈥�
The Kraken are optimistic about their future in spite of their on-ice issues.
Botterill said Seattle will look to the free-agent market for reinforcements. The Kraken are projected to have more than $29 million in cap space this summer. Four first-round picks over the next two drafts doesn鈥檛 hurt, either.
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