Kraken fans could rightly state: “We hardly knew ya!!”
The franchise’s first captain, Mark Giordano, retired from the NHL after 19 seasons on Wednesday. Just 55 of his 1,148 career games were spent with the Kraken after joining the franchise in the 2021 expansion draft.
He was awarded the “C” before the season and then traded at the deadline to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 20, 2022.
Fifteen seasons of his career were spent with Calgary, eight of them as captain, following in the footsteps of Flames legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla.
It took two more full campaigns before the Kraken named a new captain. Jordan Eberle earned the nod last October 8th. It was an auspicious first season, with Eberle suffering a long-term pelvis injury that limited him to 42 games. Seattle faltered in his absence; just one contributing factor of many.
Eberle was also part of the expansion draft that built the inaugural Kraken line-up. He was directly involved in the one of the club’s biggest moments, albeit before his ascension to the captaincy. That would be the sudden death overtime game winner in April 2023 to even the 1st-round playoff series at two games apiece against the Colorado Avalanche.
Giordano wasn’t around Seattle long enough for anything that magical, while Eberle hopes something similar unfolds in the not-so-distant future.
Earlier Kraken:
— Ranger Turned Kraken Lindgren Brings Grit
