SEATTLE — I keep coming back to something Ron Francis said on April 29, 2024, the day he fired former Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol. Seattle’s then-general manager and current president of hockey operations stood in a corner of the Kraken Community Iceplex, outside the locker room, and fielded the kind of questions that beckon when the bottom falls out.

Hakstol, of course, had led the Kraken to their first playoff appearance less than a year earlier, becoming a Jack Adams Award finalist for coach of the year. He’d also earned an extension, a vote of confidence for the 55-year-old coach. But a plummet into the Pacific Division’s basement blew that all up.

When asked how Francis defines success, the Hockey Hall of Famer said: “Our goal every year is to get in the playoffs. Once you get in the playoffs, when you look at the difference between the top teams and the teams that finish in a wild-card spot, there’s not much. So you want an invitation to the dance, and once you get to the dance you want to have success while you’re there.”

Two years, two coaches and two general managers later, Francis’ goal is finally within reach. The Kraken exit the Olympic break on Wednesday in tenuous playoff position.

But now?

There’s a big difference between dancers.

There’s a big difference between, say, the Tampa Bay Lightning (37-14-4, 78 points) and the Kraken (27-20-9, 63 points). Or the Carolina Hurricanes (36-15-6, 78) and the Kraken. Or the Colorado Avalanche (37-9-9, 83) and the Kraken. Or the Minnesota Wild (34-14-10, 78) and the Kraken.

The Lightning, Hurricanes, Avalanche and Wild are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

The Kraken are not.

Which is why it’s not worth going all in at next week’s trade deadline.

Don’t get me wrong: The Kraken certainly shouldn’t be sellers. For a franchise with more coaches (3) and general managers (2) than playoff appearances (1), the postseason is paramount. In a city buoyed by breakthrough sports success, they can’t afford to be forgotten. General manager Jason Botterill owes it to fans and season ticket holders to explore all options to sustainably improve. To deliver a product fit to contend for consecutive seasons.

But don’t sell the farm for a wild card cameo and an early exit. For an overdue rush of adrenaline, followed by a fall. As Botterill acknowledged when he was promoted last offseason: “It’s not as if we’re one player away right now from a Stanley Cup championship.”

That continues to be the case.

This is not a team of destiny. It’s an admirable overachiever sailing into a storm.

So get better, sure. Put yourself in position to make the playoffs. Reward your patient fans. But don’t leverage the future trying to lasso a mirage.

To put it plainly: The Kraken aren’t elite in almost any area. They’re 10th in the NHL in power play percentage (22.98%), tied for 14th in shooting percentage (11.3%), 23rd in goals per game (2.88), 25th in faceoff win percentage (47.7%), 30th in shots per game (25.4) and 31st in penalty kill percentage (71.52%).

So how are they here, tied for third in the Pacific Division, winners of five of six before the Olympic break, hanging onto a contested wild-card spot?

They’ve been galvanized by goaltending, sitting fifth in save percentage (.902) and ninth in goals against per game (2.88). Philipp Grubauer’s .916 save percentage is tied for third best in the NHL, a remarkable bounce-back. But it’s unfair to expect the 34-year-old German Olympian to continue at that clip.

First-year coach Lane Lambert has also maximized the Kraken's strengths, lifting a limited roster into playoff position with 26 games to go. He has earned more actual points than style points — due to a disciplined, deliberate, high-floor-and-low-ceiling defensive system. He has beaten more talented teams with buy-in, guile and goaltending.

As 23-year-old center Matty Beniers noted of practices during the Olympic layoff: “We look good out there. It’s been nice that we don’t have as many Olympic guys there as other teams do, so we’ve had full practices.”

That lack of national team representation reflects a lack of true top-line talent.

And yet, they’re winning anyway.

Because of the selfless commitment to a system that fits their ceiling. Because of Grubauer’s remarkable reemergence. Because of Beniers’ sizzling January, Jared McCann’s competitiveness and rookie Jacob Melanson’s physicality. Because somehow, they’re better than the statistics and experts say.

Because the Pacific Division is putrid, widening the distance between dancers.

Because of this team’s intangible togetherness, too.

“For the first time in a while, there’s been not so much outside noise filtering into the dressing room with trades and things like that,” defenseman Vince Dunn said of the looming trade deadline on March 6. “I think we’re all committed to each other, and we’re all pretty happy here. When you have that chemistry with each other and you really want to play for each other and stay within this locker room, it’s a good feeling every night going to battle with these guys.”

The Kraken should be buyers. They’ve earned the opportunity to shine those dancing shoes.

But for a team that’s scored 161 goals, and allowed 161 goals, the Stanley Cup isn’t a trade or two away. The greatest goal should still be sustainable success.

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