The NHL season is still months away, but on Twitter, one can not already be excited about the 2021-22 NHL season. The Edmonton Oilers already have a matchup waiting for them during free agency.
The Seattle Kraken‘s first NHL preseason schedule is set, and the Edmonton Oilers are one of the teams they will be facing off against. The Oilers and Kraken will be getting used to each other over the coming seasons, as the two will be in the same division.
The Edmonton Oilers will welcome Seattle to their first away game during the preseason.
Considering both of these teams will be in the Pacific, one would think they will be playing each other often throughout the regular season. Whether or not Seattle is as successful as the previous expansion team is still up for grabs.
It is interesting to think about these two teams playing each other because, well the Kraken do not have any players on their roster yet. The expansion draft will be next week and it will be interesting to see the type of talent they will be able to pull into their organization.
"It will be an honor to play them in hockey communities across the state. I know our players will be excited." #SeaKraken GM @RonFrancis10
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 13, 2021
The first Kraken preseason schedule is set with our “home” games taking place in arenas across Washington State → https://t.co/DObJuRvNqK pic.twitter.com/CIBpV1MOk3
The Oilers’ preseason games will be a good time to feel out the additions they make to their roster this offseason. I am excited to see Duncan Keith play in his first game in an Oilers uniform, and I think the entire group will be hungry for some success following the early exit from the playoffs.
Now when thinking about the regular season it is interesting to note that the Oilers dominated the Vegas Golden Knights, the previous expansion team during their first matchup. Edmonton beat Vegas 8-2 during their first matchup in November of 2017.
The two teams have faced off 11 times throughout their history and Edmonton has a record of 5-5-1 all-time against the Golden Knights. This new expansion team needs to be easy points for the Oilers this coming season.
This is not the time for the Oilers to barely make the playoffs. This team needs to be at the top of the standings, and then they need a good playoff year. Edmonton is always talked about as a team that can play well throughout the regular season, but now they need to prove their value in the postseason as well.
The Kraken and Oilers will faceoff during their first preseason game in Edmonton on September 28th, 2021. The season is fastly approaching, and I cannot wait for it.