The Kraken and Predators made a deal with some intrigue attached, but so far the early returns have been pretty quiet on both sides.
Matthew Wood has picked up one assist in two games since landing in Seattle. Shane Wright, meanwhile, has gone scoreless in four games with Nashville. Wright has gotten a little more runway with the Predators, including two outings where he skated more than 15 minutes, and he’ll get another shot Wednesday night in Anaheim against the Ducks.
Wood’s sample size has been smaller, and Seattle’s schedule has made it even stranger. The Kraken have had four days off while traveling to Helsinki, Finland, where they’re preparing for the two NHL Global Series games against the Hurricanes.
In his first two appearances with Seattle, Wood logged 17:35 in the Kraken’s 2-1 OT win over the Calgary Flames on November 4th, then 14:07 in the 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers three nights later. His assist came on a third-period goal by Vince Dunn.
There may not be much outside pressure on Wood in Seattle, but the setting should help keep things calm and focused. The Kraken are 4,800 miles from home, and team bonding figures to be at a premium.
The Finland trip also gives Kraken fans a chance to see three native sons in NHL action on home soil: Kaapo Kakko, Ville Ottavainen and Jani Nyman. The first game begins at 9 am Seattle time on Thursday.
And while the trade has yet to produce fireworks, Seattle’s 2nd-year forward Berkly Catton has been rolling, extending his point streak to eight games. His move to center this season made Wright especially expendable, whether Wright ended up on the wing or not.
In Other News...
Kraken Homecoming Night Turns Sour Fast In Helsinki
The Krakens trip to Helsinki was supposed to feel like a homecoming, a chance to give one of their own a meaningful night in front of a crowd that knew exactly who Kaapo Kakko was and why this mattered. Instead, Seattle spent most of the evening chasing the game as Carolina controlled the early pace and built a lead that put the pressure squarely on the visitors in the NHL Global Series matchup.
Seattle did get on the board in the third period, but by then the Hurricanes had already done the damage with three goals across the first two periods and another in the final frame. For Kakko, the setting still carried special weight in front of a largely Finnish crowd, even if the result did not match the occasion, leaving the Kraken with a long flight home and plenty to sort through after a rough start to the series. [Read more 🡒]