Thanks to a soft November schedule and a new playing style from Lane Lambert (along with great goaltending), the Kraken catch opponents off guard to begin the season and stack points.

2. The Kraken fight the injury bug all year long

It started in training camp, and it continues throughout the season, sapping the early-season momentum. Silver lining: It keeps spots open for young players to get experience.

3. One casualty of the injury bug is Adam Larsson

He has posted almost as much as anyone in the NHL over the last 4 seasons. He blocks a lot of shots. He’s aging.

4. As the team fades from contention in 2026, Jason Botterill trades all 5 players on expiring contracts

Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, Mason Marchment, Eeli Tolvanen, Jamie Oleksiak

5. Jared McCann is also traded

Fully healthy, he has a bounce-back season, and Botterill capitalizes by selling high.

6. Seven Kraken prospects make their NHL debut

Berkly Catton, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Nathan Villeneuve, Tyson Jugnauth, Eduard Sale, Jake O’Brien, Ty Nelson

7. Berkly Catton stays with the team all year

Catton injects energy into the team and has a signature moment during his first nine games, forcing the front office’s hand to keep him in the lineup.

8. Tye Kartye gets waived and claimed by another team

He hits a particularly bad rough patch mid-season, and the team turns to its forward depth in the prospect pipeline.

9. Mason Marchment struggles for a large portion of the season and flirts with health scratch territory

The adjustment from a cup contender to middling team does not go well, and the offensive contribution isn’t nearly as plentiful. The Kraken have to sell for pennies on the dollar at the deadline.

10. The Kraken have a top-8 defense

Lambert’s system works, particularly in front of Joey Daccord.

11. The Kraken have a bottom-8 offense

12. However, the powerplay converts at its highest rate in franchise history

Lambert’s commitment to detail pays particular dividends in the structured, disciplined nature of the man-advantage.

13. And a big reason is Jani Nyman, who scores 30+ goals and is a Calder finalist

At every single level of play, he has scored goals, and the NHL is no different.

14. Shane Wright and Matty Beniers both score 25+ goals

Neither takes a huge leap, but both make noticeable progress and cement themselves as part of the future core.

15. With a particularly strong start to the season, Wright represents the Kraken at the All-Star Game

16. Finally healthy (and avoiding the injury bug), Vince Dunn is the best all-around player on the Kraken

Seen this debated on various platforms over the past few years. It’s been less clear with Dunn’s injuries, but he puts the conversation to bed as the clear best night-in, night-out player.

17. After returning from injury, Kaapo Kakko performs at a point-per-game rate

18. Matt Murray starts more games than Philipp Grubauer

Finally healthy, Murray proves to be a more-than-serviceable backup goaltender. The tandem with Daccord is one of the best in the NHL.

19. Adam Larsson starts showing his age and his ATOI slips below 20 min/night for the first time in his Kraken tenure

20. Ryker Evans struggles to carve out a role after returning from injury

Some of his end-of-season struggles continue, and they are magnified in Lambert’s system for the under-sized, offensive-minded defenseman.

21. Jamie Oleksiak drops the gloves for the first time in over two years

After 5 fights in the 2022-23 season, he only had 1 in 2023-24 and zero last year. He returns to the ring in a heavyweight bout and puts together a good showing.

22. Andre Burakovsky has a renaissance in Chicago, scoring 20+ goals

Burakovsky may top the list of individuals who needed a change of scenery after last season. He gets plenty of leash in Chicago, and with low expectations for the team, he thrives in a no-pressure environment.

23. With regulation wins against Tampa Bay and New Jersey, the Kraken finally have outright wins against every NHL franchise

24. The Kraken solve the back-to-back issue, winning more than half of their games on the second half of back-to-backs

25. The third jerseys look good on the ice, but the team does not

Maybe not as cursed as the Reverse Retro jerseys, but it’s a tough slate and the team doesn’t fare well.

26. The Kraken get their first “all-draft-pick” goal

The goal scorer and both assists are all credited to Seattle Kraken draft picks.

27. The Kraken have double-digit OTLs

This was a staple of the Lambert Islanders teams, and it continues with the Kraken.

28. A defenseman gets a chance in the shootout

It happened with Noah Dobson on Lambert’s Islanders. It could happen again…

29. The Kraken finish 5th in the Pacific Division, buoyed by early-season success

30. Jess Campbell leaves after the season for more responsibility with another team

Lambert took away powerplay duties from Campbell. Another team offers her the chance to run their powerplay, and she makes jump.

31. John Forslund doesn’t return

Tired of subpar hockey, the Massachusetts native moves back east.

32. The Kraken are selected to pick second in the 2026 draft — just missing out on Gavin McKenna

59% — Trade some to acquire NHL talent, keep most of the picks
36% — Trade most to acquire NHL talent, keep some of the picks
5% — Keep all 10 picks

The #1 biggest issue for the Seattle Kraken that needs to be addressed this offseason is...

36% — Defense
35% — Offense
18% — Powerplay

11% — Others (PK, goaltending, culture, coaching)

At the start of this past season, the Seattle Kraken spent all the way up to the salary cap. Entering the offseason, they have ~$20 million in cap space. Do you expect that they will once again spend up to the cap to start next season?

On a scale of 1 to 10, grade Ron Francis’ past year (since the 2024 draft).

Average Grade: 5.7

On a scale of 1 to 10, grade Ron Francis’ entire tenure as GM of the Seattle Kraken.

Average Grade: 5.7

Who do you think should be the first line center next season?

55% — Matty Beniers
35% — Shane Wright
9% — Chandler Stephenson

1% — Other

Who do you think should be the fourth line center next season?

51% — Mikey Eyssimont
30% — John Hayden

19% — Others (Meyers, Stephens, Morrison, Stephenson, etc)

Who do you think should be the backup goalie next season?

28% — Philipp Grubauer
20% — Ales Stezka
17% — Nikke Kokko
8% — Victor Ostman

27% — Others (mainly free agent signings)

How do you feel about Chandler Stephenson and his remaining contract? (6 more years at $6.25m)

6% — Great
22% — Good
43% — Fine
21% — Bad
9% — Terrible

How do you feel about Brandon Montour and his remaining contract? (6 more years at $7.14m)

46% — Great
31% — Good
20% — Fine
2% — Bad
1% — Terrible

How do you feel about Matty Beniers and his remaining contract? (6 more years at $7.14m)

25% — Great
30% — Good
38% — Fine
5% — Bad
2% — Terrible

Do you think Jani Nyman will spend the entire 2025-26 season at the NHL level?

Do you think Berkly Catton will spend the entire 2025-26 season at the NHL level?

For each of the following members of the Kraken Hockey Network broadcast, indicate how they impact your viewing experience:

Average score (out of 5):

Alison Lukan: 4.5
Brett Festerling: 3.6
Eddie Olczyk: 4.4
Ian Furness: 3.6
John Forslund: 4.9
J.T. Brown: 4.4
Linda Cohn: 3.5
Piper Shaw: 4.6

Todd Leiweke recently revealed the team’s plans to add a third jersey next season. What color would you like the jersey to be?

26% — Shadow blue
24% — Ice blue
21% — Red alert
12% — I don’t care
11% — A different color
7% — Boundless blue

Which players would you like to see as the first 3 to go in the shootout?

Top 3 most popular responses:
1. Adam Larsson
2. Eeli Tolvanen
3. Kaapo Kakko

HMs: Jared McCann, Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright

How would you describe the state of your Seattle Kraken fandom?

78% — Steady and strong
13% — Still strong, but fading
5% — Starting to lose hope
1% — All hope is lost

3% — Fill-in responses

Anything else you’d like to share?

Picked a couple I thought were worth sharing:

“Give shane wright more ice time 😭”

“The team still needs to build and find it’s core”

“Still love our team, was never going to be Vegas. That said, should be significantly farther along. Held on to original Kraken vets too long. Very frustrated by wasted seasons and lack of progress.”

“Try for Marner, if not add nobody over 27. 1 vet out for very signing (in addition to vets out for room for Nyman and Catton). Clean up the Cap, add a defensive Dman. Play the kids, next year’s record is irrelevant, player development is paramount; fans will support that as Montreal shows; shot at McKenna worth more than a WC playoff spot. Teams window opens when Rehkopf becomes a regular (assuming Catton, Nyman and one of Sale or Firkus get there first)”

“Use picks to offer sheet Knies and Marchment, from 2 cap strapped teams.”

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Red will be heavily featured

The video drops many hints to the inclusion of red in the new jerseys.

Hint #1: Brandon Montour wears red life vest

Hint #2: Red URL

In the final frames of the video, the URL turns from white to red

Hint #3: The captions have a red shadow

This one is a bit tricky to see with the naked eye, but zooming in reveals a rid tint around the letters.

Hint #4: “Crew, stay alert”

This line in the video is a reference to the shade of red in the team’s color palette: Red Alert.

Hint #5: A peek inside the chest

Streaks of red can be seen coming from the inside of the chest.

A Glowing Element

It had long been speculated there would be a glow-in-the-dark element to the jerseys, and this line from Brandon Montour seems to support that possibility:

Perhaps this video from June 5 offers a hint into how a glowing element would be used to make the “S” on the crest appear around the signature red eye.

Release Date

Mark your calendar: Emerald City Hockey determined that a morse code message at the end of the video spelled out “September 4”.

Welcome to the first edition of Kraken Stats prospect rankings. Questions about a prospect’s rank? Post a comment and I’ll explain my reasoning for where they ended up.

Eligibility

• Seattle Kraken must own the rights to the player

• Player is 25 years old (or younger)

• Games Played

  • Skaters: Player has appeared in fewer than 40 total NHL games, and fewer than 25 NHL games in a single season

  • Goaltenders: Player has appeared in fewer than 20 total NHL games, and fewer than 10 NHL games in a single season

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