The Vegas Golden Knights took care of business against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, 6-2. The game saw six different Golden Knights stars score goals and suffocate the Kraken in the second period. Seattle struggled to get into the offensive zone until late in the third period when the game was already out of reach.
Games like this put the Golden Knights' dominance since 2017-18 into perspective. An all-time record of 334-184-52, six Stanley Cup playoff appearances, two Stanley Cup Final appearances, and a Stanley Cup in 2023 will do that for a team. However, there's a claim that another recent expansion team has a better story.
A year ago, someone mentioned that the Seattle Kraken was the greatest expansion story ever told.
The Seattle Kraken story is more impressive than the Golden Knights expansion story due to planning properly for the future.
— THE Kraken Pod (@KrakenPod) March 20, 2023
From year one to two, the Kraken are historically one of the best expansion stories…
BUT, national media ignores us in favor of larger markets. https://t.co/USIqkXU5gj
I mean, sure, making the Stanley Cup playoffs in your second season is a solid accomplishment, especially when you beat the defending Stanley Cup champions. But the Kraken have missed the playoffs more times in their franchise history than the Golden Knights. I guess all those years of watching the Seattle Mariners lose does a number on the brain, eh?
By the way, the Kraken has an all-time record of 122-130-29. So much for having a "greater expansion story" than the Golden Knights, eh?
Golden Knights fans (and hockey fans, in general) already know why their franchise is one of the greatest expansion teams ever. In fact, they can make a case they're the greatest ever. But here are three other teams that hold claim to having a better expansion story than the Seattle Kraken.
St. Louis Blues
Another NHL team that can lay claim to a better expansion story than the Kraken is the St. Louis Blues. If you thought the Vegas Golden Knights making the Stanley Cup Final was impressive, try making the championship round in your first three seasons. That's what the Blues did, with legendary coach Scotty Bowman leading the way.
Granted, the Blues didn't win their first Stanley Cup Final game until the 2019 session against the Boston Bruins. However, they did make the playoffs in their first six seasons, making the playoffs the next three seasons after missing the postseason for the first time (1973-74).
Quietly, the Blues have become one of the most storied franchises in the NHL. They've had excellent players such as Brett Hull and Al MacInnis and even have awesome traditions (play Gloria!). Therefore, it's safe to say this year's Winter Classic participants got off on the right foot.