Evan’s NHL Daily: Kraken Mediocrity, Dubois On LA Stint

Everything went right for the Seattle Kraken in their second NHL season, as they took out the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs and putting up a heck of a fight against Dallas in round two. Last season? Everything that worked the year before took a big step back, and now they’re kind of stuck in the mushy middle. A move they made on Monday might just keep them there.

Pierre-Luc Dubois is now on his fourth NHL team, but he looked back on his (brief) time in Los Angeles and gave some insight into why it didn’t work. I have some thoughts on that…

Colorado Hockey Now

I really don’t have to tell you to watch Calum Ritchie this weekend, but there are a few players you should be keeping a close eye on, including Ivan Ivan.

News And Rumors

Fox 13: Adam Larsson has developed into a fine defenseman after expectations were out of control for him early in his career. The Kraken are now rewarding him with a four-year, $21 million deal.

On paper, the deal is fine, but I just don’t know what Seattle is building. It’s like they saw Vegas be great immediately and are now chasing what they have, as opposed to building slowly. Without any true elite talent, it just seems like they’re destined to be stuck as a decent team for a while. That Chandler Stephenson contract seems like it might be a problem right away.

X: Pierre-Luc Dubois is now in Washington, but in a French interview, he discussed why it didn’t work in LA.

Pierre-Luc Dubois recently talked to @LP_LaPresse about his time with #GoKingsGo. This has been translated from French. #LAKings pic.twitter.com/2xJB3CEEm0

— The Bannermen (@TheBannermenPod) September 8, 2024

Both sides probably deserve some blame here. The Kings traded for him without any real plan, and with two really good centers, there really wasn’t anywhere for him to play. On the flip side, a guy making $8.5 million a year probably doesn’t need clear instructions to do his job. It should be really clear what they want from you. Dubois has a chance at ANOTHER fresh start. Will it actually work for him this time?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Avalanche fans, the dream might be dead. On the NHL Media Tour, Sidney Crosby said that he’s “pretty optimistic” an extension will get done with the Penguins.

Philly Hockey Now: The memorial for the Gaudreau brothers took place on Monday, with Johnny’s wife sharing the news that she is pregnant with their third child. Just heartbreaking stuff.

Boston Hockey Now: The PWHL released the names of all six of their franchises, with one of them being the Boston Fleet.

Montreal Hockey Now: It’s something we’ve talked about here before, but when you have a top prospect playing over in the KHL, you’re never in control of their development. The Canadiens are finding that out with Ivan Demidov.

Washington Hockey Now: The 50th anniversary of the Washington Capitals will be presented by…TikTok?