Last week I asked whether the Seattle Kraken had hit bottom. Technically, they squeaked out a win against the Los Angeles Kings last Wednesday, but that brief moment of optimism didn’t last. Since then, they’ve dropped two straight, including an underwhelming 3–1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. It’s ugly right now, and game by game, the Kraken are playing themselves toward irrelevancy.
Goals are still hard to come by
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Kraken are struggling to score. Over their last five games, they’re shooting an abysmal 7.6 percent. A modest bump up to their season average of 9.7 percent would have produced roughly three additional goals over that stretch. Given that most of those games were essentially one-goal affairs, those three goals could have swung multiple results.
Things got even tougher when the Kraken lost their leading scorer, Jared McCann, for several weeks during Wednesday’s game against the Kings. That injury came just six games since he returned from a five-week absence. Seattle managed to tread water during McCann’s earlier absence, but that was with Jaden Schwartz in the lineup. Schwartz has now been out for three weeks himself, and suddenly the margin for error has disappeared.
Injuries are part of the game, and the Kraken have certainly had their share this season. The challenge for a team like Seattle is organizational depth. The AHL roster is loaded with prospects, but there aren’t many players down there who are ready to step in and handle even limited NHL minutes right now. When multiple top-six forwards are missing at the same time, the cracks become pretty obvious.
Objective of the 2025–26 season
No one picked Seattle as a playoff team entering the season. ESPN and The Athletic both projected the Kraken to finish 29th overall. Here at Sound Of Hockey, we’ve been consistent that a reasonable expectation was simply to play meaningful games in March.
The Kraken’s solid start made that goal feel very attainable. Then the losses piled up, the injuries got worse, and suddenly the season has been in a spiral. And yet, despite how bleak things feel, Seattle is still just five points out of the final playoff spot. As bad as it’s been, they’re technically still on pace to be playing those meaningful games in March.
Given the current state of the roster, the path forward is pretty clear. If the Kraken can hover around .500 while McCann and Schwartz are sidelined over the next few weeks, they’ll give themselves a fighting chance once the lineup starts to stabilize.
Opportunities
With Jaden Schwartz and Jared McCann out, and Berkly Catton also working his way back from injury, several players are getting extended looks and increased responsibility. There are three players in particular who need to elevate their game.
- Shane Wright – I wouldn’t say Wright’s game has regressed since last season, but he hasn’t looked nearly as dangerous as he did down the stretch last year. He has five goals in 30 games and is shooting 11.4 percent, a sharp drop from last season’s 25.9 percent. There’s been plenty of fan frustration about his ice time, but much of that is tied to the coaching staff’s trust in him: he’s not on the top power-play unit and continues to get protected starts with limited defensive-zone usage. These injuries should open the door for more responsibility. Now it’s on Wright to take advantage and raise his game to the level everyone expects.
- Kaapo Kakko – Kakko’s production is largely explained by injury, and I’m willing to give him some leeway there. Coming back from two separate injuries is no small thing. That said, the Kraken badly need scoring from the wing, and Kakko has been back for seven games without looking like much of a threat. The hope is that more time and opportunity help him turn the corner over the next few weeks. Worth noting, he missed Monday’s practice with an illness.
- Freddy Gaudreau – Like Kakko, Gaudreau’s offensive numbers are down compared to last season, largely due to injury. I’ve liked his game lately, though, especially his two-way play. He looks more comfortable and always makes the right decision. It feels like he’s starting to find his stride with the Kraken. If a few more pucks start going in for him, that would go a long way toward stabilizing this team right now.
Other musings
- The Kraken have been generating more shot attempts lately, though some of that can likely be attributed to playing from behind more often. Shot volume is nice, but context still matters, and chasing games isn’t exactly a sustainable offensive strategy.
- The Kraken are now 3-8-4 when allowing the first goal this season. Playing from behind continues to be a recipe for long nights.
- Seattle had 2:22 of 5-on-3 ice time over the past week and failed to convert. They are now one of just two teams this season with more than five total minutes of 5-on-3 time without a single goal, joining Montreal in that unenviable category. Meanwhile, opponents are a perfect 2-for-2 on 5-on-3 chances against the Kraken.
- By the definition, this is a face-off goal, yet who won this face-off?
Matty Beniers – Seattle Kraken (4)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/xbzNTHkcg4— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 11, 2025
- Mason Marchment’s two-goal performance against Utah marked the seventh time a Kraken player has recorded a multi-goal game this season. That total is tied for 27th in the league, which says a lot about how rarely Seattle is getting game-breaking performances from individual players.
- Jacob Melanson was recalled on Saturday and was immediately pressed into action Sunday due to illness elsewhere in the lineup. I’ve always liked his game, and while this might be a brief look, I still think he has the makeup of a regular NHL player down the road.
Goal of the week
Seattle Kraken sixth-round pick from the 2022 draft, Barrett Hall, scored this game-winning goal in the final minutes of St. Cloud’s 4–3 win over sixth-ranked Denver.
PRESENT FOR THE HUSKIES FROM BARRETT HALL! WRAP IT UP AND TIE IT WITH A BOW 🎁 #NCAAHockey x 🎥 Twin Cities CW / @SCSUHuskies_MH pic.twitter.com/UBGLhn6fPr
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) December 14, 2025
Player performances
Tyson Jugnauth (CVF/SEA) – “Juggy” had two goals and two assists in the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ 7–4 win over the Calgary Wranglers on Saturday. It was one of those nights where he was involved in everything.
Kraken goaltenders – Over four games this week, Kraken goalies posted a .914 save percentage and saved 2.2 goals above expected. They’re doing their part, and then some.
Marcus Johansson (MIN) – Former Kraken forward “JoJo” had three goals and three assists in four games this week, including a nice game-winning goal against Seattle. Of course.
The week ahead
They had to come to town eventually, and now they’re here. The 23-2-7 Colorado Avalanche visit Seattle on Tuesday at perhaps the worst possible time. Colorado leads the league at 4.0 goals per game, while the Kraken sit last at 2.47. Anything can happen in the NHL, but on paper this one is pretty terrifying.
After Colorado, Seattle heads out to Calgary on Thursday and San Jose on Saturday. At first glance, those might look like opportunities to grab some points, but the Flames have won four of their last five games, and the Sharks have taken three of their last four. There are no easy games in this league, and given how the Kraken are currently playing, these will all be tough.
Until further notice, the goal for the week should be simple: grab 50 percent of the available points. If the Kraken can hang around a .500 points percentage while waiting for McCann and Schwartz to return, they at least keep themselves in the bubble conversation. Even then, this team is going to need a real run to become relevant again, and that likely won’t happen until those pieces are back in the lineup.