The Seattle Kraken finally had a name on July 23, 2020, when the NHL announced that the club formerly known as NHL Seattle would officially be called the Kraken.
That reveal came after months of uncertainty around the expansion franchise’s identity. According to NHL.com, former team president and general manager Ron Francis said the Kraken was not part of the final group of names under consideration, and that ownership and team executives were still weighing other options before the league made its announcement.
The name itself leans hard into Seattle’s maritime identity. It draws from the mythical sea beast and is paired with a deep-sea blue look built around ice blue, shadow blue, boundless blue and red alert shades.
NHL.com also explained the design details behind the logo: “The logo honors the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, who became the first team from the United States to win the Stanley Cup when they defeated the Montreal Canadiens in 1917, months before the NHL was born. It is an "S," like the Metropolitans logo, but with a tentacle and red eye.”
Francis laid out why the name fit once it was unveiled.
"Seattle's a city with a deep maritime history," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. "I think this name embodies a connection with the sea and a curiosity of what lies beneath it.
It's a natural tie to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. In theory, it reflects the power and aggression of hockey.
We're hoping that's the kind of tenacity our players show every time they take the ice. So I'm excited by it."
On the ice, Seattle’s best run came in its second season, when the Kraken went 46-28-8 and finished with 100 points. That year ended in the second round of the playoffs.
Now the Kraken are in their sixth NHL season and looking for a stronger push, with trade moves part of the effort to get there.
In Other News...
Kraken Add Intriguing Forward With More Upside Than Fans Realize
The Kraken quietly added another young piece to the pipeline this week, landing Ryden Evers after the undrafted forward from Burnaby, British Columbia, put pen to paper on a three-year entry-level deal. Seattle has made a habit of looking for players who can grow into bigger roles over time, and Evers fits that mold as a center with enough size and skill to make him more than just an organizational depth move.
General manager Jason Botterill sounded encouraged by the path ahead for Evers, pointing to the forwards two-way game as a trait worth developing. The early plan is for him to get his next reps in the American Hockey League with Coachella Valley, where the Kraken can see whether the raw tools translate into something more substantial down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Fans Got Another Frustrating National TV Reality Check
Seattle fans hoping for a heavier dose of their team on the big national stages are facing another familiar grind this season. The Kraken are again set for a modest run of exposure on ESPN and TNT, while most of their schedule will remain where local viewers are used to finding it, on the Kraken Hockey Network, with games primarily on KONG 6/16 and simulcast on KING 5.
There is a little more wrinkle for cord-cutters and streaming-first viewers, too. A handful of additional Kraken games are headed to ESPNs streaming-only package, which means another subscription decision for anyone trying to follow every game without missing a beat. It is the kind of broadcast map that keeps Seattle in the league picture, but still leaves plenty of the season tucked away from the national spotlight. [Read more 🡒]