Continuing to sport the No. 7 on his back as he did with the New York Islanders, Jordan Eberle skated in his first game as a member of the Seattle Kraken Tuesday night. In a packed T-Mobile Arena, he started each period on the right side of Jaden Schwartz and Jared McCann. He was one of the most notable additions to the fledgling Kraken roster this offseason, and expectations for him are high.

Game Recap

Eberle wasted no time getting his team going during the first shift in Seattle Kraken history. Just over 20 seconds into the period, a puck rolled into the slot and a falling Eberle rang it off the top of the crossbar. Following an unsuccessful Kraken power play that saw Eberle lead the entry into the zone (as Mathew Barzal often does for the Isles), an opportunistic Golden Knights team scored two goals on their first three shots of the game. They scored again in the second to go up 3-0, and the outlook was bleak for the NHL’s 32nd team. 

After the midway point of the second frame, Seattle struck back as Ryan Donato netted the first goal in franchise history and Jared McCann got the second. Eberle registered the primary assist on McCann’s goal, making a nifty move on Brayden McNabb in the zone before softly putting the puck into a good space for McCann. The ex-Islander finished the game with over 20 minutes of ice time and a team-leading three blocked shots. In a spirited contest that saw the erasure of a three-goal lead and a controversial game-winner, Eberle’s performance was impressive and indicative of future success with Seattle.

Once an Islander, Always an Islander

The influence of the Isles culture does not vanish with time. Eberle, despite wearing a white jersey with an “S” on the front and anchors on the shoulders, played like an Islander in his first game with Seattle. He worked hard in all three zones, came up with big offensive and defensive plays and made few mistakes.

In an Islanders’ stint that lasted four years, Eberle proved to be a crucial component of the success that rapidly came to the organization under the management of Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz. It was with the Isles that he scored his first career playoff goal, less than two minutes into game one of the 2019 playoffs, a goal which opened the floodgates for what would prove to be a dominant sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was with the Isles that he scored an iconic double-overtime goal to extend their season another game in the 2020 playoffs, a goal that made the infamous Semyon Varlamov slide possible. 

The Islanders’ community embraces its past and present players, no matter how short or long their tenure, as evidenced by their constant support of Robin Lehner, who only played 54 games in a blue and orange uniform. Eberle was an Islander for four years and will always be seen as an Islander by the fans. We are rooting for him to create more memorable moments with Seattle and wish him a great rest of his career (given that his success is not at the expense of the Isles).

John Smark