Mariner Talk Chat Forum

Lost in the Mariners playoff run and a promising start to the Seahawk season is the start of the Kraken season.

Most sports pundits have the Kraken placed at being the fourth-worst (or 29th best if you're an optimist) team in the league this season. Young players like Beniers who aren't panning out, middling players playing top-line minutes, and bad contracts like Stephenson's being cited.

Yet here they are 3-2 with both losses in OT (one in a shootout which they have about a 10% chance of winning due to lack of skill), and as stupid as "loser points" are, those points are HUGE. Eight points in five games is great. Plus they've beaten the Golden Showers and Gayple Leafs (in Toronto) in OT so they're off to a great start. Maybe they'll be a playoff team after all.

EDIT: changed the name of the thread

Not with Oleksiak on this team. He single handedly destroys any chance at having even an average defense.

XpertDBA wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 22, 2025 5:47 pm

Not with Oleksiak on this team. He single handedly destroys any chance at having even an average defense.

You really dislike the guy. He's sort of a throw back? Your big tough guy? Led the team in blocked shots.

When you think of big D men, you don’t necessarily think of skill and playmaking ability all that much, but he definitely brings that factor, which surprised me when I got here,” Mahura said.

“It’s really, really impressive to me to be able to do that at that size.”

With great size comes great responsibility, and sometimes, slight injustice. Every so often Oleksiak’s penalty summary should read “standing, while very tall.”

“What are you gonna do?” Oleksiak said. “I’ve gotta take the good with the bad.

“At this point, I’m used to it. You just have to be aware of it and mitigate a little bit.”

Yes, I dislike him intensely. He's a really poor defender and tends to be on the ice a lot when the other teams scores.

XpertDBA wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 24, 2025 10:36 pm

Yes, I dislike him intensely. He's a really poor defender and tends to be on the ice a lot when the other teams scores.

Well, we definitely know that Winnipeg didn't score when Oleksiak was on the ice. That road trip was falling apart and damned if we don't shut the Jets out on their home ice. Let's see what we can at home against the Oilers tonight.

XpertDBA wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 24, 2025 10:36 pm

Yes, I dislike him intensely. He's a really poor defender and tends to be on the ice a lot when the other teams scores.

The worst player at that is actually Chandler Stephenson. Last year among regular players he was second-to-last on goal differential in five-on-fives...and he has six years left on his contract which literally EVERYONE said at the time was a terrible signing.

That OT loss to MON was stunning. Down 3-0, tie it, then lose.

Not having a minor league head coach seems to be helping this year.

So 12 games into the season, the Kraken are 6-6...and in first place in the Pacific Division, albeit with one more game played than the Sucks and the Golden Showers. 4 overtime losses certainly helps, the last two seasons the team couldn't even get to OT to lose.

It's not going to last as the team has very little offense and they're not going to win very many OT games as a result. Still, they're looking at a team that has a decent shot at the playoffs and not like the 29th best team where virtually everyone had them.

My question. Why hasn't Beniers turned into a superstar after his amazing rookie season. He looks to me like he isn't anything all that special. We really need a star, and he isn't it.