3 things we learned from Kraken’s preseason win over Canucks

Here’s what we learned from the Kraken’s 3-1 preseason victory Friday over the Vancouver Canucks.

Young’uns stand out

Lleyton Roed’s view of his NHL bid – which is going rather well, actually – is slightly skewed. He’s had to wear a face shield after a training-camp mishap left him with an angry black eye. He showed off his speed and playmaking abilities in Friday’s win.

He tried to feed linemate Ryan Winterton during the first period. Had Winterton had been just a step ahead or lifted the puck, it might have been in.

They connected early in the second period instead. Roed picked a Vancouver pocket at center ice, took the puck behind the goal and centered for Winterton. Winterton grabbed the puck off a goalie pad and roofed it.

Last summer, Roed made an impression at the Kraken’s development camp. He returned to Bemidji State in Minnesota for his sophomore season, where he put up 30 points (14 goals) in 38 games before turning pro. He joined Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League for five regular-season games and five postseason games, managing two goals and an assist between the 10 games.

Winterton, his grateful recipient, also assisted on Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour’s goal, which grazed a Canuck’s behind and went in. Winterton’s two-point night earned him first-star honors at an ideal time. As it stands there isn’t a clear path for Winterton to procure an opening-night spot, but that could change with a trade. And at worse, he’s positioning himself as an in-season injury replacement.

On the first goal, center Shane Wright created space for teammate Jordan Eberle to select his best option. Eberle passed to Adam Larsson, who took a shot tipped in by Eeli Tolvanen. Tolvanen was looking for tips the rest of the night and could have had two more.

Winterton and Wright were both trusted with killing penalties, as well.

Positive signs

Seattle improved to 1-2 in the preseason. Though the patchwork power play, with its constantly rotating cast, went 0-for-2 on Friday and hasn’t yet converted this preseason, it moved the puck well.

In his Kraken preseason debut, Chandler Stephenson won 16 of 20 (80%) of his faceoffs. The Kraken won 66.1% of their draws, a number not often seen around these parts. It’s an area where Seattle has struggled the past two seasons.

Captain watch

During a second-period interview with Kraken Hockey Network play-by-play announcer John Forslund and analyst Eddie Olczyk, Seattle general manager Ron Francis said on the topic of selecting a new Seattle captain: “I think we’d like to name one.”

He acknowledged that new coach Dan Bylsma needed time to get to know everyone in the locker room.

“As we get closer to the end of camp, we’ll have the decision on our minds,” Francis said.

Seattle hasn’t had a captain since Mark Giordano was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in March 2022. Two weeks ago, the Kraken were one of five teams without a captain, and some of the other vacancies were years old as well.

But there’s been a flurry of activity. Chicago went with Nick Foligno on Sept. 18, replacing Jonathan Toews. Radko Gudas took on the ‘C’ in Anaheim a day later. Rasmus Dahlin succeeded Kyle Okposo as captain of the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Utah Hockey Club is the other holdout and has yet to name its first captain.