2021–22 Seattle Kraken season

2021–22 Seattle Kraken
Division	8th Pacific
Conference	15th Western
2021–22 record	27–49–6
Home record	16–22–3
Road record	11–27–3
Goals for	216
Goals against	285
Team information
General manager	Ron Francis
Coach	Dave Hakstol
Captain	Mark Giordano (Oct. – Mar.) Vacant (Mar. – May)
Alternate captains	Jordan Eberle Yanni Gourde Adam Larsson Jaden Schwartz
Arena	Climate Pledge Arena
Average attendance	17,151
Minor league affiliate(s)	Charlotte Checkers (AHL) Allen Americans (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Jared McCann (27)
Assists	Vince Dunn (28)
Points	Jared McCann (50)
Penalty minutes	Jeremy Lauzon (67)
Plus/minus	Carson Soucy (+7)
Wins	Philipp Grubauer (18)
Goals against average	Chris Driedger (2.96)

The 2021–22 Seattle Kraken season was the inaugural season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. They played their home games at Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken played their first regular season game on October 12, 2021 against the Vegas Golden Knights, a 4–3 loss on the road. In their second game just two days later, the Kraken earned their first win in franchise history, defeating the Nashville Predators 4–3 in an away game. The Kraken played their first home game on October 23, against the Vancouver Canucks, a 4–2 loss.

The franchise recorded its first ever shutout on February 22, 2022, with Philipp Grubauer making 19 saves against the New York Islanders 3–0 at home. On March 30, the Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention after a 3–0 loss to the Golden Knights. The Kraken finished last in the Pacific Division with 60 points, the second-worst in the Western Conference ahead of the Arizona Coyotes.

Before their first ever regular season home game on October 23, the Kraken retired the jersey number 32, in recognition of the franchise being the 32nd to join the NHL and in honor of the 32,000 fans who placed deposits for tickets on the first possible day.

Background

The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve Seattle's expansion team on December 4, 2018 to begin play in the 2021–22 season as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. As a result, the Arizona Coyotes were shifted from the Pacific Division to the Central Division to balance out the four divisions at eight teams each. The organization hired Ron Francis as their general manager to initiate operations for the team.

On July 23, 2020, the franchise announced their team name, the Seattle Kraken, as well as their team colors, branding, and home jersey. The team's name comes from the mythical kraken of Scandinavian folklore and its resemblance to the native giant Pacific octopus, which is found in the waters of the Puget Sound, near Seattle. The state of Washington is also home to a significant number of people with Scandinavian ancestry.

On April 30, 2021, the franchise paid the final installment of the $650 million expansion fee, officially making the Kraken the 32nd team of the NHL.

Off-season

See also: 2021 NHL expansion draft

Matty Beniers was the first-ever Kraken draft pick, selected second overall at the 2021 NHL entry draft.

The Kraken made their first signing, Luke Henman, on May 12, 2021. On June 24, the organization hired Dave Hakstol as their inaugural head coach. On June 28, the Kraken announced the Charlotte Checkers as their inaugural American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team, sharing them with the Florida Panthers.

An expansion draft was held on July 21, in a similar manner to a previous expansion draft held in 2017 for the Vegas Golden Knights, who were themselves exempt from the 2021 expansion draft. Notable selections included Jordan Eberle from the New York Islanders and Mark Giordano from the Calgary Flames. The Kraken selected their first draft pick, Matty Beniers, as the second overall selection at the 2021 NHL entry draft.

The Kraken also signed many other players during free agency Notable signings included goaltender Philipp Grubauer and forwards Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Wennberg. On October 11, the Kraken named Mark Giordano as the team's inaugural captain.

Regular season

The Kraken played their first regular season game on October 12, a 4–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, where Ryan Donato scored the team's first goal. The Kraken's first win came in their second game on October 14, when they defeated the Nashville Predators 4–3. Following a 6–1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, goaltender Joey Daccord was named the starter instead of Grubauer in a 4–2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The Kraken played their first home game at Climate Pledge Arena on October 23, a 4–2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to the game, the Kraken retired jersey number 32, in recognition of the franchise being the 32nd to join the NHL and in honor of the 32,000 fans who placed deposits for tickets on the first possible day. The Kraken picked up their first home win on October 26, against the Montreal Canadiens. Goaltender Chris Driedger made his first start with the Kraken on November 9, in a 4–2 loss to the Golden Knights.

The Kraken had several losing streaks in their season. However, on February 2, 2022, Philipp Grubauer recorded the franchise's first shutout, making 19 saves in an 3–0 victory against the New York Islanders. On March 20, the Kraken's captaincy became vacant after Giordano was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention on March 30 following a 3–0 loss to the Golden Knights. The Kraken finished their inaugural season in last place of the Pacific Division with a 27–49–6 record and 60 points.

Standings

Divisional standings

Pacific Division

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	RW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	y – Calgary Flames	82	50	21	11	44	293	208	+85	111
2	x – Edmonton Oilers	82	49	27	6	38	290	252	+38	104
3	x – Los Angeles Kings	82	44	27	11	35	239	236	+3	99
4	e – Vegas Golden Knights	82	43	31	8	34	266	248	+18	94
5	e – Vancouver Canucks	82	40	30	12	32	249	236	+13	92
6	e – San Jose Sharks	82	32	37	13	22	214	264	−50	77
7	e – Anaheim Ducks	82	31	37	14	22	232	271	−39	76
8	e – Seattle Kraken	82	27	49	6	23	216	285	−69	60

Source: National Hockey League
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
e – Eliminated from playoff contention; x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division

Conference standings

Western Conference Wild Card

Pos	Div	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	RW	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	CE	x – Dallas Stars	82	46	30	6	31	238	246	−8	98
2	CE	x – Nashville Predators	82	45	30	7	35	266	252	+14	97
3	PA	e – Vegas Golden Knights	82	43	31	8	34	266	248	+18	94
4	PA	e – Vancouver Canucks	82	40	30	12	32	249	236	+13	92
5	CE	e – Winnipeg Jets	82	39	32	11	32	252	257	−5	89
6	PA	e – San Jose Sharks	82	32	37	13	22	214	264	−50	77
7	PA	e – Anaheim Ducks	82	31	37	14	22	232	271	−39	76
8	CE	e – Chicago Blackhawks	82	28	42	12	16	219	291	−72	68
9	PA	e – Seattle Kraken	82	27	49	6	23	216	285	−69	60
10	CE	e – Arizona Coyotes	82	25	50	7	18	207	313	−106	57

Source: National Hockey League
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
e – Eliminated from playoff contention; x – Clinched playoff spot

Schedule and results

Preseason

The preseason schedule was announced on July 9, 2021. With Climate Pledge Arena not scheduled to open until mid-October, the Kraken instead played their home preseason games at three different WHL arenas in Washington. On September 26, 2021, the Kraken beat the Vancouver Canucks 5–3, giving them their first preseason win in franchise history.

2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 2–1–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Arena	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 26	Vancouver	3–5	Seattle		Driedger	Spokane Arena	10,208	1–0–0
2	September 28	Seattle	0–6	Edmonton		Driedger	Rogers Place	13,627	1–1–0
3	September 29	Seattle	4–3	Calgary	SO	Daccord	Scotiabank Saddledome	14,451	2–1–0
4	October 1	Edmonton	1–2	Seattle	OT	Daccord	Angel of the Winds Arena	—	3–1–0
5	October 2	Calgary	4–1	Seattle		Driedger	accesso ShoWare Center	—	3–2–0
6	October 5	Seattle	4–0	Vancouver		Grubauer	Rogers Arena	9,268	4–2–0

Regular season

The regular season schedule was released on July 22, 2021, with only about a handful of games scheduled in February as a result of NHL players participating in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

2021–22 game log
October: 3–5–1 (home: 2–2–0; road: 1–3–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 12 Seattle 3–4 Vegas Grubauer 18,431 0–1–0 0 2 October 14 Seattle 4–3 Nashville Grubauer 17,159 1–1–0 2 3 October 16 Seattle 1–2 Columbus OT Grubauer 17,593 1–1–1 3 4 October 18 Seattle 1–6 Philadelphia Grubauer 17,727 1–2–1 3 5 October 19 Seattle 2–4 New Jersey Daccord 13,806 1–3–1 3 6 October 23 Vancouver 4–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 1–4–1 3 7 October 26 Montreal 1–5 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 2–4–1 5 8 October 28 Minnesota 1–4 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 3–4–1 7 9 October 31 NY Rangers 3–1 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 3–5–1 7
November: 5–8–0 (home: 3–4–0; road: 2–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 10 November 1 Seattle 2–5 Edmonton Daccord 15,860 3–6–1 7 11 November 4 Buffalo 2–5 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 4–6–1 9 12 November 6 Seattle 4–5 Arizona Grubauer 15,045 4–7–1 9 13 November 9 Seattle 2–4 Vegas Driedger 18,246 4–8–1 9 14 November 11 Anaheim 7–4 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 4–9–1 9 15 November 13 Minnesota 4–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 4–10–1 9 16 November 17 Chicago 4–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 4–11–1 9 17 November 19 Colorado 7–3 Seattle Driedger 17,151 4–12–1 9 18 November 21 Washington 2–5 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 5–12–1 11 19 November 24 Carolina 1–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 6–12–1 13 20 November 26 Seattle 0–3 Tampa Bay Grubauer 19,092 6–13–1 13 21 November 27 Seattle 4–1 Florida Driedger 15,305 7–13–1 15 22 November 29 Seattle 7–4 Buffalo Driedger 10,004 8–13–1 17
December: 2–5–3 (home: 1–4–2; road: 1–1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 23 December 1 Seattle 3–4 Detroit SO Grubauer 18,963 8–13–2 18 24 December 3 Edmonton 3–4 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 9–13–2 20 25 December 6 Pittsburgh 6–1 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 9–14–2 20 26 December 9 Winnipeg 3–0 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 9–15–2 20 27 December 11 Columbus 5–4 Seattle OT Grubauer 17,151 9–15–3 21 28 December 14 Seattle 3–1 San Jose Driedger 12,403 10–15–3 23 29 December 15 Seattle 1–4 Anaheim Grubauer 14,762 10–16–3 23 30 December 18 Edmonton 5–3 Seattle Driedger 17,151 10–17–3 23 — December 19 Toronto – Seattle Postponed due to COVID-19. Rescheduled for February 14. — December 21 Arizona – Seattle Postponed due to COVID-19. Rescheduled for February 9. — December 23 Seattle – Calgary Postponed due to COVID-19. Rescheduled for February 19. — December 27 Seattle – Vancouver Postponed due to COVID-19. Rescheduled for February 21. 31 December 29 Philadelphia 3–2 Seattle OT Grubauer 17,151 10–17–4 24 32 December 30 Calgary 6–4 Seattle Driedger 17,151 10–18–4 24
January: 4–8–0 (home: 3–4–0; road: 1–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 33 January 1 Vancouver 5–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 10–19–4 24 — January 4 NY Islanders – Seattle Postponed due to COVID-19. Rescheduled for February 22. — January 6 Ottawa – Seattle Postponed due to COVID-19. Rescheduled for April 18. — January 8 Seattle – Winnipeg Postponed due to attendance restrictions. Rescheduled for February 17. 34 January 10 Seattle 3–4 Colorado Grubauer 17,516 10–20–4 24 35 January 12 Seattle 2–5 Dallas Grubauer 17,825 10–21–4 24 36 January 13 Seattle 1–2 St. Louis Driedger 17,017 10–22–4 24 37 January 15 Los Angeles 3–1 Seattle Driedger 17,151 10–23–4 24 38 January 17 Chicago 2–3 Seattle SO Grubauer 17,151 11–23–4 26 39 January 20 San Jose 2–3 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 12–23–4 28 40 January 21 St. Louis 5–0 Seattle Daccord 17,151 12–24–4 28 41 January 23 Florida 3–5 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 13–24–4 30 42 January 25 Nashville 4–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 13–25–4 30 43 January 27 Seattle 2–1 Pittsburgh OT Grubauer 18,228 14–25–4 32 — January 29 Seattle – NY Islanders Postponed due to January 2022 North American blizzard. Rescheduled for February 2. 44 January 30 Seattle 2–3 NY Rangers Grubauer 18,006 14–26–4 32
February: 2–8–1 (home: 0–4–1; road: 2–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 45 February 1 Seattle 2–3 Boston Driedger 17,850 14–27–4 32 46 February 2 Seattle 3–0 NY Islanders Grubauer 17,255 15–27–4 34 47 February 9 Arizona 5–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 15–28–4 34 48 February 11 Seattle 4–3 Anaheim Driedger 12,530 16–28–4 36 49 February 14 Toronto 6–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 16–29–4 36 50 February 17 Seattle 3–5 Winnipeg Grubauer 13,071 16–30–4 36 51 February 19 Seattle 1–2 Calgary Grubauer 9,639 16–31–4 36 52 February 21 Seattle 2–5 Vancouver Driedger 18,346 16–32–4 36 53 February 22 NY Islanders 5–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 16–33–4 36 54 February 24 Boston 3–2 Seattle OT Grubauer 17,151 16–33–5 37 55 February 27 Seattle 1–3 San Jose Grubauer 13,171 16–34–5 37
March: 5–6–1 (home: 2–2–0; road: 3–4–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 56 March 2 Nashville 3–4 Seattle Driedger 17,151 17–34–5 39 57 March 5 Seattle 2–5 Washington Driedger 18,573 17–35–5 39 58 March 6 Seattle 2–3 Carolina Grubauer 18,156 17–36–5 39 59 March 8 Seattle 4–6 Toronto Grubauer 17,547 17–37–5 39 60 March 10 Seattle 3–4 Ottawa OT Driedger 11,622 17–37–6 40 61 March 12 Seattle 4–3 Montreal SO Grubauer 20,608 18–37–6 42 62 March 16 Tampa Bay 4–1 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 18–38–6 42 63 March 19 Detroit 2–4 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 19–38–6 44 64 March 23 Seattle 4–2 Arizona Grubauer 11,670 20–38–6 46 65 March 26 Seattle 2–4 Los Angeles Grubauer 18,230 20–39–6 46 66 March 28 Seattle 6–1 Los Angeles Driedger 13,919 21–39–6 48 67 March 30 Vegas 3–0 Seattle Driedger 17,151 21–40–6 48
April: 6–8–0 (home: 5–3–0; road: 1–5–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 68 April 1 Vegas 5–2 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 21–41–6 48 69 April 3 Dallas 1–4 Seattle Driedger 17,151 22–41–6 50 70 April 6 Seattle 1–4 St. Louis Driedger 18,096 22–42–6 50 71 April 7 Seattle 2–0 Chicago Grubauer 18,677 23–42–6 52 72 April 9 Calgary 4–1 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 23–43–6 52 73 April 12 Seattle 3–5 Calgary Driedger 16,392 23–44–6 52 — April 13 Seattle – Winnipeg Postponed due to weather conditions. Rescheduled for May 1. 74 April 16 New Jersey 3–4 Seattle SO Grubauer 17,151 24–44–6 54 75 April 18 Ottawa 2–4 Seattle Driedger 17,151 25–44–6 56 76 April 20 Colorado 2–3 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 26–44–6 58 77 April 22 Seattle 3–6 Minnesota Grubauer 19,047 26–45–6 58 78 April 23 Seattle 2–3 Dallas Driedger 18,532 26–46–6 58 79 April 26 Seattle 2–5 Vancouver Daccord 18,261 26–47–6 58 80 April 27 Los Angeles 5–3 Seattle Grubauer 17,151 26–48–6 58 81 April 29 San Jose 0–3 Seattle Driedger 17,151 27–48–6 60
May: 0–1–0 (home: 0–0–0; road: 0–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 82 May 1 Seattle 3–4 Winnipeg Driedger 14,443 27–49–6 60
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular season

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/−	PIM
Jared McCann	74	27	23	50	–26	33
Yanni Gourde	74	21	27	48	–13	45
Jordan Eberle	79	21	23	44	–28	14
Alexander Wennberg	80	11	26	37	–26	28
Vince Dunn	73	7	28	35	–21	63
Ryan Donato	74	16	15	31	–13	40
Calle Jarnkrok‡	49	12	14	26	–15	2
Adam Larsson	82	8	17	25	–23	55
Jaden Schwartz	37	8	15	23	–13	14
Mark Giordano‡	55	6	17	23	–21	47
Marcus Johansson‡	51	6	17	23	–22	4
Morgan Geekie	73	7	15	22	–16	18
Joonas Donskoi	75	2	20	22	–10	14
Carson Soucy	64	10	11	21	+7	47
Colin Blackwell‡	39	8	9	17	+1	4
Mason Appleton‡	49	6	11	17	–4	14
Riley Sheahan	69	4	13	17	+6	2
Jamie Oleksiak	72	1	16	17	–1	54
Brandon Tanev	30	9	6	15	+4	13
Matty Beniers	10	3	6	9	–1	0
Victor Rask†	18	4	4	8	–3	0
Will Borgen	36	2	6	8	+1	28
Kole Lind	23	2	6	8	–1	12
Karson Kuhlman†	25	2	6	8	–2	6
Daniel Sprong†	16	6	0	6	–6	0
Jeremy Lauzon‡	53	1	5	6	–9	67
Haydn Fleury	36	2	2	4	0	13
Derrick Pouliot†	9	0	3	3	+6	2
Nathan Bastian	12	1	1	2	–1	31
Austin Czarnik†	6	0	2	2	0	0
Dennis Cholowski†	4	0	2	2	+1	0
Alex Barre-Boulet†	2	0	1	1	0	0
Max McCormick	10	0	0	0	+1	10
Cale Fleury	9	0	0	0	–3	0
Alexander True	8	0	0	0	–2	2

Goaltenders

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Philipp Grubauer	55	54	3,111:25	18	31	5	164	3.16	1,479	.889	2	0	1	0
Chris Driedger	27	24	1,478:24	9	14	1	73	2.96	722	.899	1	0	0	4
Joey Daccord	5	4	293:13	0	4	0	21	4.30	140	.850	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Kraken. Stats reflect time with the Kraken only.
^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Kraken only.

Player awards

After their final home game on April 29, the Kraken announced the inaugural winners of their player awards for the season.

Jared McCann won the Pete Muldoon Award for the Kraken's most valuable player, as voted on by Seattle-area media. Philipp Grubauer won the Three Stars of the Year Award for having accrued the most stars of any player using a point system for stars at home games. Yanni Gourde won the Guyle Fielder Award as the teammate who best exemplified "perseverence, hustle and dedication" as voted upon by his teammates and coaches. Gourde also won the Fan Favorite Award, determined by a fan vote.

Transactions

The Kraken have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021–22 season.

Key:

 †  Contract is entry-level.
 ‡  Contract initially takes effect in the 2022–23 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
July 22, 2021 (2021-07-22)	To Calgary Flames Tyler Pitlick	To Seattle Kraken 4th-round pick in 2022
July 27, 2021 (2021-07-27)	To Colorado Avalanche Kurtis MacDermid	To Seattle Kraken 4th-round pick in 2023
July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28)	To Washington Capitals Vitek Vanecek	To Seattle Kraken 2nd-round pick in 2023
March 16, 2022 (2022-03-16)	To Calgary Flames Calle Jarnkrok	To Seattle Kraken FLA 2nd-round pick in 2022 3rd-round pick in 2023 7th-round pick in 2024
March 20, 2022 (2022-03-20)	To Toronto Maple Leafs Mark Giordano Colin Blackwell	To Seattle Kraken 2nd-round pick in 2022 2nd-round pick in 2023 4th-round pick in 2024
March 20, 2022 (2022-03-20)	To Nashville Predators Jeremy Lauzon	To Seattle Kraken 2nd-round pick in 2022
March 20, 2022 (2022-03-20)	To Winnipeg Jets Mason Appleton	To Seattle Kraken 4th-round pick in 2023
March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21)	To Washington Capitals Marcus Johansson	To Seattle Kraken Daniel Sprong 4th-round pick in 2022 6th-round pick in 2022

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Ref
May 12, 2021 (2021-05-12)	Luke Henman	Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)	3-year
July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28)	Philipp Grubauer	Colorado Avalanche	6-year
	Jaden Schwartz	St. Louis Blues	5-year
	Alexander Wennberg	Florida Panthers	3-year
August 4, 2021 (2021-08-04)	Connor Carrick	New Jersey Devils	1-year
August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)	Marcus Johansson	Minnesota Wild
August 20, 2021 (2021-08-20)	Antoine Bibeau	Carolina Hurricanes
August 25, 2021 (2021-08-25)	Gustav Olofsson	Montreal Canadiens
September 1, 2021 (2021-09-01)	Riley Sheahan	Buffalo Sabres
September 13, 2021 (2021-09-13)	Ryan Donato	San Jose Sharks
September 29, 2021 (2021-09-29)	Max McCormick	Carolina Hurricanes
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)	Tye Kartye	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)	3-year
May 7, 2022 (2022-05-07)	Peetro Seppala	KooKoo (Liiga)
June 9, 2022 (2022-06-09)	Ville Petman	SaiPa (Liiga)	2-year

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Ref
July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28)	Gavin Bayreuther	Columbus Blue Jackets
September 5, 2021 (2021-09-05)	John Quenneville	ZSC Lions (NL)

Claimed via waivers

Date	Player	Former team	Ref
October 11, 2021 (2021-10-11)	Alex Barre-Boulet	Tampa Bay Lightning
February 8, 2022 (2022-02-08)	Austin Czarnik	New York Islanders
February 9, 2022 (2022-02-09)	Dennis Cholowski	Washington Capitals
March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21)	Derrick Pouliot	Vegas Golden Knights

Lost via waivers

Date	Player	New team	Ref
October 14, 2021 (2021-10-14)	Dennis Cholowski	Washington Capitals
October 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)	Alex Barre-Boulet	Tampa Bay Lightning
November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25)	Nathan Bastian	New Jersey Devils

Other signings

Date	Player	Term	Ref
July 21, 2021 (2021-07-21)	Chris Driedger	3-year
	Adam Larsson	4-year
	Jamie Oleksiak	5-year
August 4, 2021 (2021-08-04)	Alexander True	1-year
August 5, 2021 (2021-08-05)	William Borgen	2-year
August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)	Vince Dunn
August 13, 2021 (2021-08-13)	Cale Fleury	1-year
	Carsen Twarynski
September 7, 2021 (2021-09-07)	Dennis Cholowski
March 8, 2022 (2022-03-08)	Jared McCann	5-year
April 10, 2022 (2022-04-10)	Matty Beniers	3-year†
April 22, 2022 (2022-04-22)	Ryker Evans
May 9, 2022 (2022-05-09)	Max McCormick	2-year
July 1, 2022 (2022-07-01)	Gustav Olofsson	1-year

Draft picks

Expansion draft

Main article: 2021 NHL expansion draft

Seattle filled its roster by selecting players in the 2021 NHL expansion draft. The 2021 draft used the same rules as the 2017 NHL expansion draft did for the Vegas Golden Knights. The Kraken had to select or sign one player from each existing team except for Vegas. Teams opted to protect some of their players against being drafted.

Entry draft

Before the draft lottery, the Kraken were given the same odds as the team with the third worst point total from 2020–21 season, which meant that they would not draft any lower than fifth overall and would draft third in each subsequent round. On June 2, 2021, the Kraken received a second overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft during the draft lottery.

Below are the Seattle Kraken's selections at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on July 23 and 24, 2021, virtually via video conference call from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Round	#	Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	2	Matty Beniers	C	United States	Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten)
2	35	Ryker Evans	D	Canada	Regina Pats (WHL)
3	67	Ryan Winterton	C	Canada	Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
4	99	Ville Ottavainen	D	Finland	JYP (Liiga)
5	131	Jacob Melanson	RW	Canada	Acadie–Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)
6	163	Semyon Vyazovoy	G	Russia	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
7	195	Justin Janicke	LW	United States	U.S. NTDP (USHL)