The Seattle Kraken got off to a strong start in the Lane Lambert Era on Sunday with a 5-3 preseason win over the Vancouver Canucks. Sure, it was a meaningless exhibition, and Seattle dressed a much more seasoned lineup than Vancouver, but the home team controlled long stretches of the game, giving fans—and their new head coach—plenty to like.
“I like the effort a lot,” Lambert said. “I thought we played hard. I thought we did things that we’ve been working on from a defensive standpoint, I thought we did a lot of good things offensively. In the first period, we controlled the game with a number of good-quality scoring chances. We took a four-minute penalty, but that was all part of it, in terms of just sticking up for your teammate. But I thought we did a lot of good things in a lot of different areas.
“What I really liked a lot was we were on pucks tonight. We were hounding pucks, creating turnovers, and then turning it into offense.”
Jani Nyman scored twice, while Eduard Sale, Jaden Schwartz, and John Hayden each added a goal. Vince Dunn had three assists, and Kaapo Kakko contributed two.
Here are our Three Takeaways from Seattle’s 5-3 preseason win over Vancouver.
Takeaway #1: Jani Nyman making his case
Li’l Jani has been firmly on the radar as a young player with a chance to crack the Opening Night roster, after putting up six points (3-3=6) in 12 NHL games last season and leading the Coachella Valley Firebirds in goals with 28.
He looked too good for rookie camp last week, but the lingering question has always been whether his skating had improved enough to make him a full-time NHLer this season and allow him to consistently get into scoring positions to unleash his deadly shot.
Nyman made a convincing case Sunday. Midway through the second period, on a rush with Matty Beniers and Kakko, he hustled to the far post and managed to get his stick on Kakko’s seam pass, even after it deflected en route. That goal gave Seattle a 2-1 lead.
HELLO, NYMAN! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 22, 2025
Nice buildup off the rush, and Li’l Jani does well to get his stick on Kakko’s pass that got deflected.
2-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/zBOXIjyzpS
“It’s good to get some games before the real ones,” Nyman said. “It’s been a long summer, so I feel I’m ready. And I did a huge job [training] this summer. Hopefully I can see that on the ice.”
Added Lambert: “The thing that excited me about that goal was that it started in the D-zone. We killed the play, and then it ended up in the back of their net. So from my perspective, that’s what we’re talking about when we’re talking about defense translating into offense.”
Nyman followed up with an even prettier tally four minutes later, again connecting with Kakko. This time, after the two Finns switched positions just inside the blue line, Nyman drifted into a soft spot at the top of the right circle. Kakko slid him a perfect pass, and Nyman—who had cleverly opened himself up for a one-timer—ripped it off the far post and in.
JANI TWO-MAN! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 22, 2025
Nyman’s second of the night on a big blast.
4-1 #SeaKraken. pic.twitter.com/vvmtZff8Fg
“We never talked about [that play in advance]. It just happened,” Kakko said. “I mean, [Nyman’s] got a good shot, and we all know that. I think we saw that last year already, so— nobody net front, it’s a pretty heavy shot. Hopefully me and Matty can find him a little more.”
If Nyman keeps producing through the preseason, it’ll be hard for the front office to justify sending him down.
Takeaway #2: Solid start
We can’t read too much into this—or any—preseason game, especially with Vancouver icing a roster that looked more like a prospect showcase squad than an NHL lineup.
Still, you want to see structure and flashes from individual players, and the Kraken delivered both. Kakko, Shane Wright, and Schwartz all looked sharp. Several young players also left their mark: Sale opened the scoring, Oscar Fisker Molgaard set up Hayden’s goal, and Nyman did what we covered in Takeaway #1.
Seattle’s last two first-round picks, Berkly Catton and Jake O’Brien, also had their moments. Both showed confidence, and neither looked out of place. Catton, despite not finding the scoresheet, was around the action all night and finished plus-two in 14:24 of ice time.
“I liked both of their games,” Lambert said. “O’Brien’s a real cerebral player, really solid defensively. Honestly, he just keeps getting better every day, and he’s had a good training camp. His progression has been very, very good.
“Cats, he’s got that dynamic ability, that dynamic speed. He showed it on a few occasions tonight.”
Catton still has work to do to secure a roster spot. He didn’t cement it Sunday, but he also did nothing to hurt his chances.
Takeaway #3: John Hayden is still in the penalty box
Another player fighting (literally and figuratively) for a roster spot is John Hayden, who has been in this bubble position for four straight Kraken training camps. On Sunday, he reminded management he’ll always stand up for teammates.
This particular instance came with a price.
At 17:34 of the first period, Joseph LaBate flattened Wright with a clean open-ice hit. Hayden immediately went after LaBate, cross-checking the 6-foot-5 forward before dropping the gloves and throwing punches.
The result: 19 minutes of penalties—two for cross-checking, two for instigating, five for fighting, and a 10-minute misconduct—leaving the Kraken to kill off four minutes shorthanded. They survived, but Schwartz’s subsequent high-sticking minor cost Seattle a goal against.
“You know what? I have all kinds of time in the world for that,” Lambert said of Hayden’s decision to engage LeBate. “He’s sticking up for his teammate, so outstanding job by him. We try and kill those off all day long when we feel like somebody is trying to stand up for one of his teammates.”
Hayden made the most of the extra rest and scored 3:07 into the third period to extend Seattle’s lead to 5-2, banging home a slick feed from Fisker Molgaard.
Hayden remains a candidate for the 13th forward role. If he starts the year in Coachella Valley, odds are he’ll be back in Seattle before long.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
My viewing of the highlights concurs with what you have said. Nyman did himself well, although his second goal came off of a slight deflection. O’Brien won the faceoff on the last goal and looked good. Catton was around several goals, drawing the defenders on the goals by Sale and Schwartz. It is early but the upcoming exhibition games will show us more. Kokko played well also, so wonder if he has any roster chance.
Hayden showed why he is needed on this roster. He stood up for Wright immediately. The young centers need someone (or two) like that, until Melanson and Villeneuve can take over that role.
THN article linked off to the NaturalStatTrick numbers for the game. The numbers against this opponent don’t mean much, so I was looking more at the Kraken lines relative to each other. The Corsi For % for O’Brien’s line was the highest but then they got the highest number of offensive zone faceoffs. The lowest was Wright’s line but then noticed his line took 2/3 of the defensive zone draws. I am wondering if Lambert is making a statement that expects Shane to be an all-situations guy or if he is just testing something out. Will be watching that in the coming games, as I hope he breaks out big this season.
Shane Wright’s performance could represent a “tipping point” for the Kraken. If he breaks out they could be borderline playoff contender. If he doesn’t, it could be a repeat of last year.
I liked the pace of the game. They really kept things moving. When they had the puck they weren’t spending ages in the defensive zone or getting stuck in the neutral zone. It moved.
Nyman was 🔥. Vancouver appeared to have a plan for Catton, however, coming out hard on him early and a lot of double-coverage. There were flashes of solid play, but he was contained much more than last weekend or when he’s playing with the Chiefs.
I felt Fiddler looked overmatched. I would have liked to have seen him paired with an NHL’er instead of Olafsson. Similarly, my big complaint with the Hayden fight is that his time in the penalty box left Molgaard and O’Brien without their more experienced linemate for 1/3 of the game. I liked what I did see of Molgaard. I didn’t like all the “Firkus circus” hype last year, but I’ve appreciated his team-oriented play the last 2 weekends.
I was disappointed that none of the offseason acquisitions played last night. I was hoping to get to see at least one of them.
After last year’s names-in-a-blender approach to lines, it was welcome and refreshing to see the lines remain relatively in tact through the entire game. There was more chemistry and better line changes in game 1 of the preseason than during much of last season.
Finally, I absolutely loved the opening faceoff of Catton vs Cootes. WHL-US division represent!
Good comments.
I know this is not full NHL rosters but if “Vancouver appeared to have a plan for Catton” continues and teams have to have a plan for #77, then that would be a first for the Kraken. And it should open up chances for everyone else. I do hope they keep him on the NHL roster all year just for that.
I’d guess that was a reaction to last weekend’s prospect game, where they gave Catton too much space and let him dictate too much of the play. I would actually be concerned a bit because they were able to contain him fairly easily last night with a relatively minor adjustment which is a signal to me that he might not be ready for the move up.
I liked the offensive zone entries. That play where they advance to the read line, pass back, and freezing the opponents on the blue line dump it in the corner was absent. Even for just one game, seeing Catton and others carry the puck over the blue line was a rare treat!
Did you see Catton carry it in cleanly at least 3 times on the power play? Man that was so refreshing lol.
Catton can really move, was excited to see him last night.
Fun to see in person last night. Catton was the most exciting part of the game. O’Brien had some nice plays, but also got out-muscled for the puck a few times. Wow that one-timer from Nyman was something! On the other side of the ledger, I kept forgetting Firkus was even playing…
Please don’t waste a roster spot on a goon like Hayden, except maybe if it’s someone to sit on the bench as an emergency fill-in for an injured player. We need some development and hope for the future from our young players. This whole idea that they are less likely to get injured because opponents will be deterred by the threat of Hayden throwing punches is not realistic.
Great summary. Jake O’Brien has looked very impressive. He definitely exceeds any expectations I had for a kid just turning 18. Unlike a lot of kids his age with his current slight build (and he does look 6’2) he looks solid and comfortable in his frame. Really excited to see him become an impact player for this team.
The physicality stood out to me, which should be expected since a lot of guys trying to make an impression. Of the prospects, it is hard to not be excited by Nyman the way he played. His skating doesn’t look like its going to be a huge liability and he was strong on and off the puck. Plus even the Tanev brothers might have second thoughts about stepping in front of that shot. Overall that line looked like they had solid chemistry with complimentary skills that I would be excited to see on opening night. I definitely noticed that Catton and Obrien took some hard hits and weren’t as sturdy as some of the other guys, but both bounced back quick on all. Catton and Firkus seemed to be in pass first mentality last night, there were a few in front of the net where I think both would have been better served to let it rip but opted for a contested pass. Firkus did have a good pass off the boards to set up Wright’s breakaway and while it didn’t show up in the score sheet, I did appreciate that he went to the dirty areas in front of the net frequently and was not intimidated by the physical play. It also stood out that Molgaard got a fair amount of icetime on the PK, he always seemed to be in the right spots too. It seems like his strong/disciplined defensive game will fit in very well within Lamberts system in the next few years.
I did not understand that unsportsman-like penalty that Hayden got. It all seemed so excessive. There was another additional penalty the Kraken received last night (sadly, I cannot remember what it was) that seemed odd as well. What was your read on that 10 min add on?
From NHL Rule 46.11:
A player who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation shall
be assessed an instigating minor penalty, a major penalty for fighting
and a ten-minute misconduct
When are they going to get rid of this stupid thing. The instigator penalty has resulted in more injuries and games lost, not less.
I thought the guys looked ready to play – which is saying something from past years. So much hustle. I hope once they blend in the rest of the players they look just as cohesive. It was refreshing to see such hard action without a lot of hiccups. KoKo faced a few good shots in the 3rd. Probably more quality shots that Joey saw. All in all, super fun to watch and excited to see the next game.
Agree with many of you – Catton’s entries and O’Brien’s hands and vision are so exciting!!! Future is bright!!!
I will keep my opinion untill the kids play against an team full of men not boys. Theey have talent. All of them but are they strong enough to play a mens game. Thank you for a great post!