The Seattle Kraken have signed restricted free agent Kaapo Kakko to a three-year, $13.575 million contract, avoiding arbitration just days before his scheduled July 25 hearing. The $4.525 million average annual value will carry Kakko into his prime, setting him up to hit the open market at age 27.
The signing comes as a relief for fans who were growing antsy about the arbitration process, which I previously discussed in a Sound Of Hockey article on July 9.
Kakko contributions
Kakko was acquired from the New York Rangers during the 2024-25 season after falling out of favor in their top-six forward group. Drafted second overall in 2019, the Finnish winger arrived in Seattle seeking a fresh start and more ice time. He found flashes of both. While his production wasn’t eye-popping, signs of renewed confidence emerged.
Since joining the Kraken, Kakko’s numbers have climbed with the increased opportunity he received. He boosted his full-season scoring pace from 38 points with New York to 50 points in Seattle and tripled his power-play production.
Just as encouraging was his impact on linemates. Consistently skating with Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz, Kakko helped drive up both players’ offensive production.
Beniers’ even-strength goals per game jumped from 0.121 to 0.224 after Kakko’s arrival. He also found new life on the power play, scoring five goals in the final 49 games after netting none in the first 33. While Beniers and Kakko typically skated on separate power-play units, the increased confidence appeared to ripple across situations.
Schwartz saw a similar bump, improving his even-strength goals per game from 0.181 to 0.285 goals per game. Of Kakko’s 20 assists, 14 came on goals by Schwartz (nine goals) or Beniers (five).
This deal signals the Kraken’s belief in Kakko’s continued growth and value as a top-six contributor. He logged heavy minutes after joining the team and appears poised for continued progresssion. The Schwartz–Beniers–Kakko line was the team’s most consistent foward line, logging 459 minutes together—more than double any other forward combination, per moneypuck.com. That’s especially impressive considering Kakko played just 49 games with the Kraken. The Oliver Bjorkstrand–Shane Wright–Eeli Tolvanen trio was next at 189.9 minutes.
Still, player development isn’t always a straight line. At just 24, Kakko still carries untapped upside. His improved numbers—and the boost he gave teammates—suggest Seattle might have landed a player on the rise.
The $4.525 million cap hit represents 4.74 percent of this season’s cap. But with the ceiling projected to rise to $113.5 million by 2027–28, that figure drops to 4.0 percent. In other words, this deal seems like a bargain.
The Kraken are banking on Kakko to continue thriving as a top-six forward, especially after his step forward last season in both production and play-driving. This signing reflects Seattle’s commitment to building around youth and structure.
How does Kakko’s contract compare
For comparison, here’s what similar restricted free agents (RFAs) with 45–55 points signed for on contracts beginning in the 2025–26 season:
- Juraj Slafkovský – Eight years at $7.6 million
- Alexis Lafrenière – Seven years at $7.45 million
- Matt Coronato – Seven years at $6.5 million
- Simon Holmstrom – Two years at $3.625 million
Locking in Kakko at $4.525 million looks like a discount relative to Slafkovský, Lafrenière, and Coronato. Holmstrom’s deal came in lower but covers fewer years and will expire with RFA status. Kakko is nestled between Coronato and Holmstrom, and it is good to have him under contract for three years.
With Kakko under contract, general manager Jason Botterill can now focus on re-signing defenseman RFA Ryker Evans and exploring trade options to potentially add offense. The Kraken have roughly $7 million in cap space, offering room for additional moves before training camp.
Comment below with your thoughts on the signing and what you think the Kraken’s next move should be.
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
Sweet!
Nice deal for both side imo.
Yes indeed! A good solid smart move all around.
Go Kraken!!!
Love the points comparisons, and happy to have Kakko for three years.
@Blaiz, there’s a typo on the Matty chart, power play points per game pre-Kakko is missing a zero, should be 0.061
Great catch, fixed.
A tidy piece of work and slightly under projections.
This is on the long side of what I expected and the cap hit is team friendly. Hopefully he continues to progress and we can lock him up long term next contract.
I’m surprised that Evans isn’t signed yet.
Evans does not have arbitration rights, so his signing can take longer with no penalty. There is no need to worry there either, just part of the normal process.
Congrats to Kaapo! I probably would have preferred an extra year or two of term even if it meant a higher cap hit, but that seems to be the case for most Kraken extensions. Overall I still think this is a good deal for both sides, though. The Kraken buy out two of Kakko’s UFA years at an affordable rate, and Kakko gets some stability while still maintaining the opportunity to hit the open market at 27. If he performs well and continues to show good chemistry with Beniers I wouldn’t be surprised to see another extension for him in two years’ time.
Great news!
Color me impressed. Given how far the road he went, I just assumed he would go through arbitration become an UFA end of the season. And a reasonable contract to boot. Nice job by GMJB
Why would you assume that when that situation rarely occurs with players in Kakko’s position? Blaiz had a recent great article detailing that over the past three years something like 92% of these cases never get to a hearing.
Really nice piece of work by the front office. I was worried it might be a 1 year deal with the player wanting a quick FA opportunity. Never thought it would get to arbitration but just the player not wanting to commit with term. That would have been terrible for the Kraken. This seems like a great place for both team and player.
This is a shockingly team-friendly contract, although, I suppose it will work out for Kakko big time if he strings two good seasons together.
I would add a caveat to the splits for Schwartz and Beniers pre- and post-Kakko trade. The big leap for Schwartz last season was, I suspect, his being paired with Beniers after languishing on a terribly mismatched line with Stephenson and Burakovsky for much of the first half of the season. Playing beside the responsible, possession-driving Beniers allowed Schwartz the opportunities to do the things that he likes to do, namely crash the net and wreak havoc in an intentionally unpredictable manner. Likewise, Beniers’ big leap statistically looked to me like him just cutting loose and playing with less weight on his shoulders. In other words, he hit that point in a young player’s career where the game slowed down for him and he felt more opportunities present themselves. Maybe some un-quantifiable portion of that is owed to Kakko’s arrival, but I suspect it may mostly be him growing into the role of a first-line center. I also remember when the playoffs were no longer a realistic goal Beniers started trying crazy things like playing net-front. Those three are going to be something to watch early in the upcoming season just to see how they all build on the roles they have created for themselves and for each other.
7 million in cap space. Now I will offer Jared McCann and two first round picks for Jason Robertson.
The hitch with Robertson is I think Dallas is looking for a righty D. Larsson isn’t going anywhere, but I could see Montour waving to go to the Stars. Would you make that deal?
Ignoring how Dallas would fit 7.1m under the cap, I would do the trade in an heartbeat.
I’d be worried about the right side and it may take a while to fill that hole. In the near term Seattle is currently set as far as a teams three toughest needs: a goalie, right-side D, down the middle. This trade would take one of those away… but I’d do it too.
It’s money-in-money-out so I’m not sure cap is a problem… but maybe I’m missing something. Seattle could even throw in Kartye and I think it still adds up.
Montour, Kartye, and a first? If it came with an extension… sure.
Yah after trading Dumba Dallas has ~ $1.1mm in cap space, and Robertson’s hit is slightly bigger than Montour’s so it could work. Regarding RD – are Ty Nelson or Ottavainen close to ready? Have to find out sooner or later. If the Kraken really wanted to get aggressive, add another first, and/or give Dallas the choice of Kartye, Nyman OR Rehkopf
TFL… not Nyman, but otherwise, sure.
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