The Kraken Are Here. If You Checked Out Last Year, Here's What You Missed
Welcome back to hockey season, friend. If you've been sleeping on the NHL since Florida beat Edmonton for back-to-back Cups in 2024 and 2025, we've got some catching up to do. The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are here, and Seattle's got a seat at the table. Let's break down what matters.
The Panthers Are Actually Gone
Yeah, you read that right. The Florida Panthers, the franchise that went 25 years without a playoff series win and then won consecutive championships, are sitting home in April. That's what happens when your season gets derailed by catastrophic injuries. Star captain Aleksander Barkov tore both his ACL and MCL in his right knee before the season even started and missed all 82 games. Matthew Tkachuk had offseason surgery for a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia, didn't return until January 19, and by then the Panthers were already out of a playoff seed. Florida finished 15 points out of a playoff spot this year, even after re-signing Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad before the season. Three deep playoff runs in four years will take it out of you. The Elbo Room in Fort Lauderdale won't see quite as much celebrating this June.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils both fired their GMs this season and missed the party. The Washington Capitals are out too, in what could be Alex Ovechkin's final season. Out West, the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets also got shut out.
The Kraken Are Ready
Seattle's got skin in the game now. The puck drops Saturday with a tripleheader, and the Kraken are locked in. This is the second season that matters. Time to see if we can make some noise.
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