SEA Kraken

On December 4, 2017, the Seattle City Council voted 7–1 in favor of a memorandum of understanding between the city of Seattle and the Oak View Group, a sports company co-founded by Tim Leiweke, for renovations of KeyArena. Three days later, the National Hockey League (NHL) Board of Governors agreed to consider an expansion application from Seattle, with an expansion fee set at US$650 million. The Seattle ownership group was represented by David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Exactly a year after the memorandum of understanding, the NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve a Seattle expansion team being added to the league. In mid-2019, the organization hired Ron Francis as their general manager to initiate operations for the team. Francis later stated that three things he wanted to prioritize in the Kraken's roster were speed, character, and competitiveness. In July 2020, the franchise announced their team name—the Seattle Kraken—as well as their team colors, branding, and home jersey.

Nine months later, on April 30, 2021, the franchise paid the final installment of the US$650 million expansion fee, officially making the Seattle Kraken the 32nd team of the NHL. The Kraken made their first player signing, Luke Henman, on May 12. More than a month later, the organization hired Dave Hakstol to be their inaugural head coach. On July 19, a three-day period began where the Kraken could talk to unrestricted free agents before any other team could. The Kraken used this period to sign Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, and Chris Driedger. An expansion draft was held three days later at Gas Works Park in front of more than 4,000 spectators and fans. The draft was held in a similar manner to a previous expansion draft held in 2017 for the Vegas Golden Knights, who were themselves exempt from the 2021 expansion draft. Larsson, Oleksiak, and Driedger counted as the pick from their respective teams (Edmonton, Dallas, and Florida, respectively). Two days later, the first round of the 2021 NHL entry draft took place. The Kraken used their second-overall pick to select Matty Beniers, a center from the University of Michigan. The previous season, Beniers scored 24 points (goals plus assists) throughout 24 games, and his 10 goals ranked first among goals for first-time draft-eligible NCAA players.

On July 28, 2021, at 9 PM Pacific Time, free agency for all 32 teams for the 2021–22 season began. That same day, the Kraken signed forwards Alexander Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz, and goaltender Philipp Grubauer. On October 11, the Kraken named Mark Giordano as the team's inaugural captain. The team also named four alternate captains—Adam Larsson, Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, and Jaden Schwartz. The Kraken played their first regular season game the next day, a 4–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, where Ryan Donato scored the team's first goal. The franchise's first win came in their next game two days later, when they defeated the Nashville Predators 4–3. The Kraken played their first home game at Climate Pledge Arena on October 23 in what would be a 4–2 loss to the fellow Pacific Northwest team Vancouver Canucks. Prior to the game, the team retired jersey number 32, in recognition of the franchise being the 32nd to join the NHL and in honor of the 32,000 fans who placed deposits for tickets on the first possible day. The team picked up their first home win on October 26, against the Montreal Canadiens. On February 2, 2022, Grubauer recorded the franchise's first shutout, making 19 saves in a 3–0 victory against the New York Islanders. On March 20, the Kraken's captaincy became vacant after Giordano was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team was eliminated from playoff contention on March 30 following a 3–0 loss to the Golden Knights. The Kraken finished their inaugural season in last place of the Pacific Division with a record of 27–49–6.

The Kraken's second season was far superior to their first in terms of winning. On July 13, 2022, the team signed goaltender Martin Jones to a one-year contract. He made his Kraken debut on October 13, notching a 4–1 victory. The Kraken enjoyed an eight-game win streak. While doing, so the franchise became the first team to win all seven games of a seven-game road trip. On April 6, the Kraken clinched their first playoff berth, qualifying for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. Ultimately, the team's record of 46–28–8 and 100 points was good for fourth in the Pacific Division and the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. On April 30, the Kraken defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the opening best-of-seven playoff series, becoming the first expansion team in NHL history to win their first playoff series against the defending Stanley Cup champion. The team's playoff run came to an end after the second round where they lost to the Dallas Stars in seven games. On June 26, at the NHL Awards ceremony, Matty Beniers was named the winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy for being the NHL rookie of the year.

The Kraken struggled offensively in their third season, ranking 29th in the league in goals, with only 217. In December and January, following an eight-game skid, goaltender Joey Daccord started in eight out of nine games of a franchise record nine-game win streak, ultimately part of a 13-game point streak. In the midst of the streak, Daccord started in goal for the Kraken during the 2024 NHL Winter Classic, where he achieved the first-ever shutout in Winter Classic history with a 3–0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. The team was eliminated from playoff contention on April 3, following a 5–2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The Kraken finished their season with a 34–35–13 record, enough for sixth place in their division. On April 29, following the end of the season, head coach Dave Hakstol was fired, being replaced by Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma on May 28. On October 8, 2024, the Kraken opened the 2024–25 season by naming Jordan Eberle the second captain in franchise history.