Tip: A great opportunity for the Kraken to start the season with a win!

Don’t miss the chance to get up to speed on the teams' conditions ahead of the season in my previews!

Atlantic Division
Central Division
Metropolitan Division
Pacific Division

Are the Kraken a playoff team?

The short answer to that question is yes, if you ask me. Betting companies and other experts aren’t as optimistic. But when others were overly optimistic about them before last season, I think many are now at risk of being too pessimistic this year. The reason I’m high on the Seattle Kraken heading into the season is for several reasons. The team they’re icing this year still closely resembles the squad that not only made the playoffs two years ago but also defeated the reigning champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in the first round. Sure, some things have changed since then, but the core remains intact. The team is still very much built on the principle of good forward depth. There are more than just the first and second lines that can pose an offensive threat, and the goal-scorers are spread across all lines. Moreover, the Kraken brought in playmaker Chandler Stephenson from the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of this season, further strengthening the picture of a solid forward group.

Among the defensemen, the team got perhaps their biggest reinforcement of the year by signing Brandon Montour from the Florida Panthers. He’s an offensively skilled defenseman with high capacity and the strength to play as a top defender, logging 24-25 minutes of ice time per game. A quality signing I believe Kraken will benefit greatly from in the coming years. It’s also a big advantage for Seattle to have Andre Burakovsky healthy from the start of this season. Together with newcomer Stephenson, they give the Kraken almost an entirely new second line alongside Jaden Schwartz.

Early injuries disrupt the Blues’ start

St. Louis Blues isn’t a team I have high hopes for this year. They certainly got a significant boost after Drew Bannister took over as coach from Craig Berube, but despite that, the roster is lacking. The team is far from as formidable as they were a few seasons ago. Sure, there’s still some quality in individual players. Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Jake Neighbours will provide the Blues with some offensive power this season as well. The problem is that the depth behind them looks too thin. Especially the defensive play could be a major issue that they will struggle with again this season. This will once again place a lot of pressure on the Blues' goalie duo, Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer.

Ahead of Tuesday night's game, the Blues will be without their top defenseman, Torey Krug, who will be out for the entire season. Oskar Sundqvist is also expected to be sidelined for a while. Brandon Saad is listed as day-to-day as he is expected to stay home awaiting the birth of his third child.

Conclusion and betting tip

It will be a highly interesting game between two teams considered to be just outside the playoffs. I’m definitely more optimistic that Seattle Kraken will once again compete for a playoff spot—something I don’t think St. Louis Blues will achieve. Last season, much of the team’s success hinged on solid goaltending and high efficiency from a few players. I don’t think they’ll be able to repeat that. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken have strengthened their chances ahead of this season with the additions of Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson, and I believe we’ll start to see the results of that as early as tomorrow!

Seattle Kraken ML (including overtime and shootout) @ 1.74 on bet365 is the play!