Road Warriors

The regular season beckons for the Kraken and the rest of the NHL. Sunday's practice at Kraken Community Iceplex effectively marks the end of training. Monday's workout on the Starbucks rink will be followed by plane ride to Vegas for opening puck drop Tuesday night.
Let's roll through Day 18 observations:

A Look at the Lines

Since Game 1 of the preseason, the line of Jared McCann centering Jaden Schwartz on the left wing and Jordan Eberle on the right has clicked. Their offensive output stands out but so does their hyper-prowess on forechecking in the opponent's defensive zone.
The concept is steal the puck back and score. This trio was back at it working as a unit Sunday after an off-day for the team. Expect this group to get significant ice time Tuesday in Vegas-possibly starting the game too.
The other lines Sunday appear reliable to pencil into Tuesday's lineup. Center Alex Wennberg worked with veteran Marcus Johansson on the left and Joonas Donskoi on the right (forward Calle Jarnkrok remains in the COVID-19 protocol process). Center Morgan Geekie was in between Ryan Donato (left wing) and Mason Appleton (right wing).
For fans on the Yanni Gourde Watch: He subbed in for Geekie for some of the drills Sunday, wearing his full-contact jersey.
Nathan Bastian was back at right wing with center Riley Sheahan and Brandon Tanev working left on what head coach Dave Hakstol has referred to as a "role line." Bastian is a physical player and figures to help his linemates fend off opponents' scoring lines in the upcoming five-game road trip, at least starting with Vegas Tuesday.

One More Look at the Lines

Hakstol was specific about his line combinations and defensive pairings going into preseason. He notified the media Sunday the specificity will be fleeting. The coach didn't say but he clearly wants opposing coaches to be guessing a bit on which forwards line up together.
"I am not going to say a lot on lines when setting the lineup," said Hakstol. "I won't be able to give you direct answers."
The approach makes it difficult for any NHL coach-opposing pro scouts have to project and guess a bit-but the strategy makes particular sense for a Kraken roster that features more than a dozen impressive forwards who look capable of playing Hakstol's systems. What's more, there are more than half-dozen who can play center or wing.
Hakstol acknowledged the five-game road trip to start the season will be a "difficult first swing" but also provides "an opportunity there to continue to build as a new group."

Determining the 'D'

The defensive pairs are a bit harder to parse from Sunday's workout. It does appear D-men Mark Giordano and Vince Dunn will be quarterbacking power play units Tuesday and this trip.
Young defensemen Jeremy Lauzon, Dennis Cholowski (who scored a pretty goal during offensive zone drills) and Will Borgen (he and veteran Adam Larsson are the only right-handed defensemen left in camp) all earned plenty of time to make the case for dressing as a seventh defenseman in Vegas.
Not surprisingly, all three young D-men stayed for extra time in what was already a 90-minute Kraken practice.

Dress for Success

For newer fans, Hakstol and his coaching staff will dress 18 skaters and two goalies Tuesday. If the decision is 12 forwards to form four lines, then the hockey math leaves three D-pairings or six defenseman dress in those sharp white away jerseys. Some coaches like to dress a seventh defenseman (and certainly carry one on the active 23-man roster) in case of injury, though that methodology tends to be more prevalent during the season when a D-man or two are banged up.

Captains Decision

When asked about any choices of a captain or perhaps naming alternate captains and no overall captain, Hakstol said there would be hockey operations discussions and a meeting with media before getting on the plane to Vegas.

An Historical Opening Night

Forward Brandon Tanev said, yes, Tuesday will be "really exciting" and a landmark moment for fans and the team alike.
"We had a great training camp," said Tanev. "We're all looking forward to get out there for 60 minutes. There will be added excitement, but we are going out there to get to our game fast, to go out there and really bring the pace. We're a confident group."

Olympic Announcements

There was no indication Sunday who will start in goal for the Kraken at Vegas. Media members and fans are likely guessing Philipp Grubauer.
But one thing we know for sure: Grubauer will be a key part of the German Olympic team playing in Beijing come February. He and fellow countryman and top-3 NHL player Leon Draisaitl, along with young Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider were announced as the first three players on Germany's squad.
The first-three announcements are part of an agreement between the NHL, NHL Players' Association and International Ice Hockey Federation.
"Every time you put on the German jersey it's an honor," said Grubauer. "I have been following the Summer and Winter Olympics since I was young."
Even with epic talent in Draisaitl and being a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2021 himself, Grubauer said the challenge will be steep for "young teams with lots of players who don't have Olympics experience. This year will be a little tougher with NHL guys going to [Beijing in February]. The goal is to win a medal, for sure."
The only other Kraken player named to an Olympic squad so far is Denmark's Alexander True, who was assigned to AHL Charlotte earlier this week. It is Denmark's first appearance in the Olympic ice hockey tournament. True will join NHL forwards Nikolaj Ehlers (Winnipeg) and Oscar Bjorkstrand (Columbus) on the historic Danish roster.