Hello once again my TentaClan (patent pending)
You will find I will likely end up bringing up the Vegas Golden Knights a fair amount in these blogs as they are not only the most recent Expansion Team, but a Pacific Division team as well. Vegas had an extraordinary first year in the League, almost doing it all, losing in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Great fans? Check. Wins? Check. Personality? Check. The one thing the team did not really have was a rival. The closest thing the Golden Knights have to a true rival now would likely be the San Jose Sharks; who Vegas beat in the second round of the playoffs in 2018 then lost to in the first round in 2019 (after a questionable penalty).
Rivalries are often tried to be manufactured by the media to try and build hype but the best ones in the league are usually built over time. This will likely have to be the case for the Seattle Kraken as well.
That being said Seattle has a long history of sports and the fans of Seattle might take issue with a few different teams in particular. Here are a few options.
4.) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Yes yes, this is a blog about the Kraken and already we are talking about how this effects the Leafs. Funny enough, these two cities have actually had quite the rivalry over the past few years that many are likely unaware of. Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders have faced off against each other in three of the last four MLS Cup Finals. The Sounders won in 2016 and 2019 while Toronto FC took it in 2017.
The 2020 MLS season is currently ongoing with Seattle at the top on the Western Conference and Toronto sitting fourth in the East. If the two end up facing off again we could see some tension when these two NHL teams meet for the first time.
3.) LA KINGS
Instead of talking about the NFL rivalry between the Rams and Seahawks, I'm going to instead go back a few years to the age of the Supersonics. The Supersonics were an NBA team from 1967-2008 before relocating to Oklahoma. Both the Lakers and Supersonics faced off repeatedly against each other in the playoffs with the Supersonics coming out on top in 1978 and 1979 but the Lakers dominating them in 1980, 1987, 1989, 1995, and 1998. Those wins by the Lakers were all absolute dominant performances.
The Kings and Kraken will of course be Pacific Division rivals once Seattle enters the league and while LA fans might have forgotten some of those series you can be Seattle fans won't have.
2.) BOSTON BRUINS
Why would two teams that are geographically almost as far apart as you can get become rivals? The answer lies in the NFL. Though they play in different conferences, any time the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks face off, the sparks fly. Only a few short days ago the Pats stood on the one yard line with seconds let, with a chance to win against the Seahawks they would fail to complete and lose 35-30.
Going back a few years, a similar situation occurred in Super Bowl Exlicks... oops I am now being told it is pronounced as Super Bowl 49... regardless the Seahawks had a chance to win but QB Russell Wilson threw an interception to Malcolm Butler and would lose 28-24.
TD Gardens where the Bruins play is just a short half-hour drive from Gilette Stadium where the Patriots play. Perhaps the intensity from those football games will leak over to the NHL.
1.) VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Of course if you're searching for a true rival I would look no further than the Vancouver Canucks. The two cities are less than three hours apart, making the two actually closer together than the Flames and Oilers are geographically. The culture of these two cities is also so similar. Both are large metropolitan areas that sit right on the Pacific Ocean with mountains on the horizon.
The Canucks have never truly had a main rival in the NHL. There have been some good moments between the Nucks and Flames and Oilers, but even when the teams haven't been good, both the Oilers and Flames look to each other as their main rival. Now Vancouver has their sights set on a new opponent just down the I-5 and with the likes of Hughes, Pettersen, Horvat, and Boeser in the lineup, the Canucks are a real threat. They will want to dominate this expansion team and earn as many divisional points as they can.
For the Kraken, we can only guess what their roster will look like, but at the very worst, this will be a team that will want to play spoiler to the league and get their shots in wherever they can. Coming out on top in the season series against the Canucks seems like a good place to start.
Any other potential rivalries you can think of? Leave your answers in the comments below.
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