With the preseason underway and the regular season around the corner, it’s time to highlight a handful of Seattle Kraken players who can improve on last year’s results. I’m calling them “rebound candidates,” but that doesn’t mean they had bad seasons in 2024-25. It means they’ve already shown they can play at a higher level than what they showed last season. After finishing with 76 standings points last year, the Kraken will need every ounce of production if they hope to return to the playoffs.
Here are the players I’ll be watching for rebound seasons:
Jared McCann
Since arriving in Seattle via the Expansion Draft from Pittsburgh by way of Toronto (he never actually played a game for the Maple Leafs before they left him exposed), McCann has thrived in an expanded role. His ice time has climbed from 16 to 17 minutes per game, and he leads the franchise in both goals (128) and points (243). He even led the Kraken in points last season with 61 (22-39=61).
So how does he qualify as a rebound candidate? Goal scoring. In his first three Kraken seasons, McCann topped the team in goals each year and shot 15.4 percent. Last season, that number dipped 4.5 percentage points to 10.9 percent, and he finished with 22 goals. He also scored just four power-play goals, his lowest total since joining Seattle.
Regression to the mean suggests his shooting percentage should creep back toward his Kraken average of 14.3 percent. His career high is 40 goals (2022-23), and while that may be ambitious, returning to the 30-goal mark feels realistic. Last season, McCann played mostly with Chandler Stephenson, who was second on the team with 51 points but often matched against top opposing lines.
McCann has shown he can produce from any spot in the lineup, and I expect him to bury more chances this year. It should be noted that McCann is currently day-to-day and shared earlier this week with media that he didn’t skate much this summer while recovering from a procedure that he underwent after last season.
Rebound target: 30 goals and 70 points
Matty Beniers
After his 57-point rookie season and Calder Trophy win, the Kraken have been waiting for Beniers to recapture that magic. He has since posted 37 and 43 points while leading the forward group in even-strength ice time (15:44 minutes per game). But among NHL forwards who averaged that much even-strength time and played a full season (70+ games), he ranked last in the NHL in points in each of the last two seasons.
There’s still reason for optimism. He returned to the 20-goal plateau in 2024-25, showed chemistry with Kaapo Kakko, and boosted his shooting percentage to 13.6 percent (up from 11.3 in 2023-24). He’s proven he has the offensive talent, as his rookie numbers came with less ice time. With new head coach Lane Lambert emphasizing structure at both ends, Beniers should benefit.
Rebound target: 60 points. It’s a stretch, but it’s within reach if he finds his stride early.
Vince Dunn
Dunn broke out for 64 points in 2022-23 but has since been slowed by injuries, missing 20-plus games each of the past two seasons. During his career-best season, he averaged 0.79 points per game, 12th best among defensemen that season (2022-23). He nearly matched that rate the next year (0.78 PPG) but played just 59 games. Last season he dropped to 0.63 PPG and again missed almost a quarter of the year (20 games).
Keeping Dunn healthy is a priority. When in the lineup, the puck-moving defenseman drives offense and brings an edge that energizes teammates and fans. The physical side makes him popular but also adds injury risk. Balancing those elements will be critical for Seattle.
Rebound target: 60 points and play 82 games
Backup goaltending
Philipp Grubauer officially slid into a backup role in 2024-25, and the results were rough: an .875 save percentage and an 8-17-1 record. After four straight years below .900, hope is scarce. Still, he showed a late spark. Following a stint with Coachella Valley, he returned to Seattle with a 3-2-0 record and a .915 save percentage. The sample was small but promising, and he seems to really enjoy working with goalie coach Colin Zulianello, who was promoted from the Firebirds to the Kraken this summer, replacing Steve Briere.
The Kraken also added two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray. Murray has struggled in recent NHL stints but dominated the AHL last season with a .934 save percentage. Neither option is a sure bet, but both have NHL experience. And frankly, can it get worse than an .875 save percentage?
Whoever wins the backup job behind Joey Daccord, Seattle will be counting on more stability in net. General manager Jason Botterill has even suggested the team may carry three goalies.
Both Grubauer and Murray would require waivers to be sent to the AHL. Murray, on a one-year deal at $1 million, could be a low-risk waiver claim for another team. Grubauer’s $5.9 million cap hit, on the other hand, is unlikely to be claimed if Seattle wanted to send him down at some point.
Rebound target: A .500 record when the backup is in net
Final thoughts
The Kraken don’t need all four of these rebound stories to hit in order to take a step forward. But if McCann’s shot rebounds, Beniers breaks through, Dunn stays healthy, and the backup goalie spot stabilizes, Seattle’s chances of returning to the playoffs increase dramatically. Even two or three of these improvements could be the difference between another disappointing season and meaningful games in April.
Comment below on which Kraken player you think could be a rebound candidates?
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.
Keeping 3 goalies with the new rules allowing a full time EBUG (who can be available for practice) is complete madness especially if the plan is to carry Catton all year long. Someone like Hayden on the roster is far more valuable than anything a 3rd goalie can provide.
Frankly, playing Wright top 6 minutes probably adds more to the team than the 4 rebounds combined. Would be nice if they at least tried something new like that rather than pretending returning to the well for a 4th consecutive season leads anywhere but down the drain
Agree with Ricky on everything. 3 goalies, Cats, Hayds, and Wright and trying something new. Mean reversion is real and I’ve done the same exercise. What if the Kraken didn’t quit in so many games last year? What if they moved on from original Kraken contracts when they were supposed to/earlier? I think 15 games is all you need to see if they can mean revert and they play with a purpose worthy of another year of the same old. But not having Nyman featured and not playing Cats every night makes no sense at this point. He’ll figure it out either on the W or C with protection on his line imo. I wanna see the mistakes of the new kids not the same mistakes from yr 5 Kraken vets if this is how it’s gonna go.
Not so much a rebound candidate, but I’d place Kakko in the breakout candidate spot. He looks more and more comfortable each game with the Kraken and has showed really strong vision and patience with the puck. I can imagine him loading up on assists on the PP by finding Nyman, Dunn or Monty for the clap-bomb one-timers.
Keeping Vince Dunn healthy = keeping John Hayden on team
Bounce back candidate: Tye Kartye. Still don’t know what about him rubbed the coaching staff the wrong way last year, but he seems capable of more than what they were willing to let him do last season.
Breakout candidate: Eeli Tolvanen. Another underrated player that last season’s coaching staff didn’t take full advantage of.
Worried about a slide: Ryker Evans. Seemed to be playing through injury the second half of last year, but hasn’t looked good in either preseason game. If Lambert truly prizes defense, I can see him being in danger of losing playing time to Mahura, who is not flashy, but plays solid disciplined defense.
I agree with all these points. I have never really been able to get a handle on what Evans is. Sometimes he looks like a Dunn replacement and other times a 3D. Assuming no injuries, which is unlikely given Lindgren, if he one of your top 6 D? When they trade Oleksiak and bring up (hopefully) Ottavainen, does that change anything? Along with Beniers and Wright, I think this season is pivotal for Evans.