We’re so back.

It’s been a nice break, but the Seattle Kraken have wrapped up a week of practice and are flying to Dallas on Monday to prepare for their first game since a critical 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 4. That victory put Seattle into third place in the Pacific Division heading into the break. Now, with the team marching toward a return to game action at the Stars on Wednesday, our coverage here at Sound Of Hockey is ramping back up as well.

The last week had almost “mini training camp” vibes, as Seattle’s players came back together at Kraken Community Iceplex and worked their way back toward game shape after nearly three weeks off. Those vibes, by the way, are very good, with the team in a playoff position and saying all the right things about being ready to compete for Seattle’s second postseason berth in franchise history.

Meanwhile, overseas, Philipp Grubauer wrapped up his memorable experience representing Team Germany, Kaapo Kakko and Eeli Tolvanen won bronze with Finland, and Team USA captured gold in one of the greatest hockey games in recent memory with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win against Canada early Sunday morning.

In this Kraken Notebook, we get player reactions to the Olympics, what it’s like for them to get back together after the hiatus, and much more.

Enjoy.

Reaction to Team USA gold

On Sunday, former Team USA Olympian Matty Beniers was all smiles, happily rubbing the first American men’s hockey gold medal since 1980 in the faces of his Canadian teammates. Beniers was especially braggadocious toward linemate Jordan Eberle, who had been taunting him the day prior and who “loves Canada more than any guy in here,” according to Beniers.

Hear from proud American Matty Beniers on the big Team USA victory this morning. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/Y7nHAbrb4e

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) February 22, 2026

The 2-1 American win definitely captured the attention of Kraken players who didn’t participate in the tournament, despite its early 5 a.m. local start time.

“I think it’s super, super important, super good for the game of hockey in the US,” Beniers said. “I grew up in a place where hockey is pretty big, right? Obviously, in Boston, it’s pretty well known, but it’s cool being in a spot like Seattle where it’s still growing and kind of young to this city. And I think that— I’m sure a lot of young hockey players are watching that game like I did when I was younger, just thinking about, Maybe that could be me someday. So, it’s huge.”

Coach Lane Lambert, who has dual citizenship between the U.S. and Canada, called it a “great game” and “one of the faster games I’ve seen.”

“Two great teams going at it,” Lambert said. “It ended in overtime, obviously, just to add to the excitement. I’m not a fan of 3-on-3 in a gold medal game, to be honest with you, but it was an awesome hockey game.”

Beniers also said he cashed in on some bets with teammates, but when I asked him what he won, he said, “Pride,” with a big smile on his face.

Goalie Philipp Grubauer, meanwhile, didn’t take the bait when asked who he was rooting for in the gold medal game. “I hope both teams had fun,” he said with a laugh.

Philipp Grubauer returns

Grubauer returned to Kraken practice after proudly representing Team Germany in Milan, where he posted a 2-2-0 record with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He, too, had a strong reaction to the USA/Canada classic.

“Obviously, two incredible teams going at it, could have gone one way or another,” Grubauer said. “[Connor] Hellebuyck, incredible game. Canada had a couple great chances on wide-open nets they miss. But overall, it was an unbelievable game to watch as a spectator.”

Grubauer clearly had a special experience playing in the Olympics in front of family and friends who made the relatively short trip from Germany to northern Italy.

“Since we were kids, we only got to see the Olympics. We only got to see the best players on TV during the Olympics,” Grubauer said. “We didn’t really have NHL highlights, and we didn’t see NHL games in Germany. So the Olympics—it didn’t matter if it was Summer Olympics or Winter Olympics—was always on 24/7. Watching my idols, Olaf Kolzig, Robert Müller play, and a couple other goalies playing those games… Obviously, now stepping on the ice and representing Germany myself. Like I said, it was a huge honor, and I haven’t really thought or soaked it in too much. I’m sure it’s going to come later down the road.”

One interesting detail: Grubauer wore No. 30 for Team Germany instead of the 31 he sports in the NHL. When he first played for the German national team, somebody else had 31, so he took 30 instead. He’s fuzzy on the details, but he believes he pitched a shutout in a big early game against Russia wearing 30 and decided to stick with the number when representing his country.

“I got it, played well, just superstitious. So I kept it, never changed it, and I think that was it.”

Speaking of superstition, most NHL goalies prefer white pads, believing dark gear highlights holes for shooters. Grubauer has worn black gear with the Kraken’s “Abyss” jerseys and also had a black setup for Germany at the Olympics. On Sunday, he was breaking in a new deep sea blue set, which could become his default going forward.

On closer inspection, these are DEEP SEA BLUE PADS!

Don’t believe we’ve ever seen a #SeaKraken goalie wear dark blue gear. https://t.co/hjPnIhFiIF pic.twitter.com/mFm4HQ7W5R

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) February 22, 2026

“I think the dark—the black set that we have here—look amazing. The pads I made for Team Germany, I think, looked amazing. So it’s nice to have darker gear, switching it up… It’s nice to see, too. Once you have your hands out, you can see your hands and where you stand a little bit better with darker gear.”

A fun break, but Kraken ready to get back at it

Kraken players who weren’t in the Olympics scattered during the hiatus. Beniers joined Jared McCann and Vince Dunn in Anguilla. Joey Daccord split time between Arizona and Florida. Jaden Schwartz went to Japan (as discussed in his interview on this week’s Sound Of Hockey Podcast). Ryan Winterton, Cale Fleury, Jacob Melanson, and Ben Meyers took a group trip to Cabo San Lucas.

“It was a pretty nice getaway,” Winterton said. “Time to relax, do some golfing. We did a couple rounds of golf, which was great, and then we went on the boat a couple days, and then just kind of laid low, got some sun.”

Interestingly, several players admitted the break wasn’t quite as welcome as you might expect. The Kraken were playing good hockey when the schedule paused, so although the fun in the sun was nice, some players would have liked to keep things rolling.

“I felt like I was getting my confidence going and getting the hang of every night, just playing,” Winterton said. “Maybe I would have liked, like, a week off, which I guess we had, but maybe a little less time would be better for me. But at the same time, letting the body heal up and get some sun, get some fresh air, kind of let your body and your mind get loose of hockey was beneficial.

“But I think for a young guy, we can kind of play every night and somewhat feel fine. So if it was up to me, I probably would have loved to keep playing, but obviously watching the Olympics is pretty cool too.”

What’s permeating the room, though, is that this team sounds ready for a playoff push. They took two of three on their final road trip before the break, jumping into third place in the Pacific Division, and they appear relatively healthy, with Meyers and Berkly Catton appearing ready to return from injured reserve.

“I think we’ll be a playoff team this year,” Winterton said. “We’ve just got to keep buying into what the coaches are saying and play every night like we have been and like we need the two points, which we do every night.”

Roster crunch and trade deadline incoming

Throughout the week, the lines at practice have looked like this:

Jared McCann // Matty Beniers // Jordan Eberle
Berkly Catton // Chandler Stephenson // Freddy Gaudreau
Ryan Winterton // Shane Wright // Jaden Schwartz
Tye Kartye // Ben Meyers // Jacob Melanson

Vince Dunn // Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak // Brandon Montour
Ryan Lindgren // Ryker Evans
Josh Mahura // Cale Fleury

Two notable absences: Finnish bronze medalists Kaapo Kakko and Eeli Tolvanen have yet to rejoin the team. Assuming they didn’t play through injuries in Italy, they’ll return soon, as will Catton and (presumably) Meyers.

Having everyone back (except Matt Murray, who continues to practice, but we’re guessing will remain on IR until the trade deadline) is a good problem to have—but it creates a roster crunch.

The players listed above, plus Tolvanen, Kakko, Grubauer, and Daccord, would put Seattle at 24 players—one over the 23-man limit. The last time this happened, Melanson was sent to Coachella Valley. He, Wright, and Winterton are the only players who can go to the AHL without waivers.

“We’re going to have, potentially, depending on… how the trend goes [with Meyers and Catton] and how ready they are, I would say there’s probably going to be some decisions that have to be made at some point,” Lambert said.

Of course, the NHL Trade Deadline is also fast approaching at 12 p.m. Pacific on Friday, March 6. Seattle has five games between now and then. Could a move clear the logjam?

Sound Of Hockey’s John Barr published an article Monday about where the Kraken likely fit as buyers or sellers. A relatively quiet deadline seems likely—but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Seattle take a swing at a scoring winger, especially considering the widely reported interest in Artemi Panarin before he landed with the LA Kings prior to the break.

The Kraken are taking a travel day Monday and will practice Tuesday in Dallas before a back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas and St. Louis.

The stretch run is here!