The Kraken conundrum

An expansion team should be expected to build to success. They should not simply be handed a successful team that they didn't earn. This is why I was upset when the Vegas Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first year.

When Seattle was predictably granted an expansion team, I openly stated that I wanted them to do things the right way. Unlike Vegas, I wanted them to build a successful franchise. I should probably point out that Seattle is a lot more convenient for me than Vancouver, even though I have not yet attended a game. I definitely have a reason to root for the Seattle Kraken.

Seattle has followed a different path than Vegas. The Kraken played like an expansion team in their inaugural year. This year, they made the playoffs. They even advanced to the second round. I was not ready for this, and it has made me wonder if the league gave too much. Of course, a second-round appearance is certainly not the same as the Stanley Cup Final.

I want the Kraken to succeed. I can't root against them. Even though a part of me wants them to win, I was more interested in properly building a successful franchise from nothing.

To further complicate things, the Golden Knights have returned to the final. In six years of the expansion team's existence, they have reached the final twice and only missed the playoffs once. Instinctively, I turned against the Golden Knights again. It is just too soon for them to have this kind of success. Unfortunately, the series has not gotten off to a good start.

If it's too soon for the Golden Knights, how am I supposed to throw my support behind a team that's a few years younger? What if the Kraken had defeated the Stars? Then they would have faced the Golden Knights in the conference final. I'm pretty sure I would have been pulling for the Kraken, but how can I defend that support considering the reasons I have been rooting against the Golden Knights?

In all honesty, it is neither the fault of the Golden Knights nor the Kraken that the league gave too much. I can't blame them for taking what they could. This could give a championship a tainted feel, but the blame primarily belongs to the league.

I have been critical of some of the decisions made in recent years by the NHL and its hockey-hating commissioner, Gary Bettman. During labor disputes, I have openly stated that I wouldn't mind if the league completely folded. With how Americans treat the sport, it's insane how much we control it.

My support for the Kraken, Canucks, and Mariners is essentially how I handle a sports model that I don't actually like. The top sports leagues should be global. For the sake of fairness, I prefer that teams aren't connected to cities. I fully intend to maintain my current support under the current model, but expansion success has actually strengthened my interest in replacing our existing sports model. Screwing up expansion certainly elevates my interest in replacing the NHL. A quality league should be a higher priority than what is personally convenient to me.