<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4M1kd6_0uhQNbUo00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4M1kd6_0uhQNbUo00" width="1600" height="900" >The summer is here for the NHL, and the dog days of the offseason are here. Full Press Hockey spoke with Rob Simpson of SeattleHockeyInsider.com to look at the Seattle Kraken on a recent episode of the podcast, and we asked him what the one burning question is facing the Kraken this upcoming season.<div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H8_pmCPqRt4?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>Simpson’s response was simple: the biggest question facing the Seattle Kraken was who would be their number one center.The Seattle Kraken were aggressive on July 1st, signing Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour. Stephenson signed a seven-year deal at $6.25 million. General manager Ron Francis hopes Stephenson can be Seattle’s number one center. However, the issue is that he played most of his career on the wing, but he has been effective at the center.“They need a 1st line center,” Simpson said. “Matty Beniers wasn’t the answer. He’s due for a new contract. He has a year left on his entry-level. Is Chandler Stephenson a number one? Chandler Stephenson was mostly a wing in his time in Vegas when they found success. He played center and he was effective. I’ve always been a fan of his. I thought he was an underrated player. But they don’t have a number one center. Beniers hasn’t been the answer.” Around Full Press HockeyNHL Free Agency: NHL Free Agency: The Good, The Bad, The UglyStanley Cup Odds: 2025 Stanley Cup Odds: Edmonton and Florida Early FavoritesNHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Vancouver Canucks and Brock BoeserNHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Will Sidney Crosby Be a Pittsburgh Penguin For Life?PODCAST: Seattle Kraken Made Us Go Whoa This OffseasonWANT MORE PODCASTS? Latest News and Rumors from Around the NHLThe Kraken are hopeful that one of their draft picks can be that answer, but that has not been the case, as Simpson told Full Press Hockey.“They thought they might have had the steal of the century when Shane Wright dropped to fourth overall in the 22 NHL Draft. He’s not there yet,” Simpson continued. “And then they just drafted Berkly Catton out of the Spokane Chiefs, so maybe he’s the number one center they’ve been looking for. But that’s not gonna happen immediately. So that’s a problem.”Again, all signs point back to Stephenson being the number one center in Seattle, which slots Beniers into the second-line center role, with Yanni Gourde being the third-line center. There is a chance it could be Jared McCann. McCann played center under former coach Dave Hakstol, and he was successful; there is a chance McCann and Stephenson could play together on the top line.But heading into the season under new head coach Dan Bylsma, Chandler Stephenson will assume that role with the Seattle Kraken.“Those are the candidates. Those are the candidates,” Simpson said. “Stephenson. It’s not going to be Beniers. He’s not a number one center, Is it McCann? Is it Stephenson? Who’s the number one guy?”That is the biggest question facing the Seattle Kraken this season.</div></body>

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One Burning Question: Seattle Kraken Need a Number One Center

The summer is here for the NHL, and the dog days of the offseason are here. Full Press Hockey spoke with Rob Simpson of SeattleHockeyInsider.com to look at the Seattle Kraken on a recent episode of the podcast, and we asked him what the one burning question is facing the Kraken this upcoming season.

One Burning Question: Seattle Kraken Need a Number One Center

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