Which NHL expansion team began play in the 2021-22 season?

The Seattle Kraken were the NHL expansion team that began play in the 2021–22 season.

Seattle became the NHL’s 32nd franchise after the league approved its expansion bid in 2018. The team was named the Kraken in 2020, selected players in the 2021 expansion draft, and played its first regular-season game on October 12, 2021, against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Kraken lost that opener 4–3 but earned their first victory two nights later, defeating the Nashville Predators 4–3. Their inaugural home game was played at Climate Pledge Arena on October 23 against the Vancouver Canucks. The Minnesota Wild joined the NHL in 2000, while the Atlanta Thrashers began in 1999 and later relocated. Vegas was also an expansion team, but it began play in 2017–18, four seasons before Seattle.