Regardless, Seattle’s coach next season — whoever he is — will be tasked with transforming an anemic offense. But first, this franchise must secure established scorers — whether via trade, free agency or internal improvement. Beniers is a restricted free agent, and the Kraken must decide how heavily to invest in the former No. 2 overall pick.

If the Kraken opt to trade for instant offense, which pieces are they willing to part with? Would they dare dispatch goalie Joey Daccord, whose 2.46 goals against average ranked a sterling sixth in the NHL? Are any top prospects — Shane Wright, Ryker Evans, Ryan Winterton, Jagger Firkus, etc. — potentially expendable?

The truth is, outside of maybe McCann and Dunn, any and all options should be explored.

Consider what’s at stake.

Eleven months after thousands filed into Climate Pledge Arena to watch a game played elsewhere, fan apathy is a legitimate fear. The franchise’s initial minimum three-year season ticket term has now expired, forcing renewal decisions this offseason. The Kraken must also decide whether to continue airing games on ROOT Sports, after Comcast Xfinity moved the regional sports network to its most expensive tier late last year.

“Probably walking into the stadium, a lot of those nights, they didn’t really know what they were going to get from us,” Dunn said Saturday of the Kraken’s home fans. “Not that we only play for them, but they’re a huge piece to that. We need them behind us.”

The challenge: win, and soon, or risk regional irrelevancy.

Change, or fade into an afterthought with squandered novelty.

Make meaningful moves to contend next season, or implicitly allow the opposite.

Action and inaction are both options. It’s time to pick a path.

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