It was a devastating week for the Kraken, yet remarkably, they remain in the playoff hunt, albeit hanging on the outside right now. This is uncharted territory for the franchise, which has never truly been in a nip‑and‑tuck race to get into the playoffs. In three of their four seasons, the Kraken were obvious sellers at the deadline and well out of the picture by March. The only exception was Season 2, when they maintained an eight‑point cushion and never really flirted with falling out.
That’s what makes this stretch so frustrating. The opportunity has been sitting right there, practically begging to be taken, because every other wild‑card hopeful has been stumbling too. Seattle, San Jose, and Los Angeles went a combined 1‑7‑2 last week. And the Pacific ineptitude doesn’t stop there: the teams holding the conference playoff spots went 4‑5‑1. It’s been a mess across the board, which only makes the Kraken’s skid feel that much worse. If Seattle had simply split their four games against Nashville and St. Louis, they’d be in a wild-card spot, two points behind Edmonton for third place in the division, and three points behind Vegas for second place with two games in hand on both those teams.
The Kraken aren’t playing poorly, but they’re also not elevating their game at a time when most of the league finds a way to do exactly that. Yes, two of their last three losses came against high‑caliber teams in Tampa Bay and the red‑hot Columbus Blue Jackets, but with a 4‑9‑0 record in 13 games since the Olympic break, that explanation doesn’t hold much weight anymore.
Ice‑cold scoring
The Kraken have averaged just 2.6 goals per game since the break, and even that number feels a bit inflated thanks to three games where they scored five or more goals. That’s good enough for 25th in the league since the break. They’ve scored more than two goals in only four of 13 games since returning. Their shooting percentage sits in the lower half of the league, and their shots on goal per game rank 26th. Shot quality hasn’t been terrible, their high‑danger and medium‑danger chances are only slightly below average, but the finishing simply isn’t there.
The OG: Adam Larsson
The Big Cat is set to play in his 1,000th NHL game on Tuesday as the Kraken take on the Florida Panthers. I’ll always have a soft spot for the players who chose to be here in that inaugural season. Larsson was technically an expansion pick from Edmonton, but he signed with Seattle during the exclusive expansion‑draft signing window, a subtle but meaningful distinction.
He’s been a perfect fit from Day 1: steady, reliable, and quietly one of the emotional anchors of the room. He’s not the guy in front of the camera, but he’s often the one facing the media after some of the toughest losses in franchise history. He also chose to sign an extension after the disappointing 2023–24 season, when it would’ve been easy to look elsewhere.
Larsson holds the franchise records for time on ice and games played, and he’s missed only one game in Kraken history — to be there for the birth of his first child. Stick taps for the Big Cat.
Other musings
- The fourth line had a rough night in Columbus. One of the primary jobs of a fourth line is simply not to get scored on, and they were on the ice for all three of Columbus’s first‑period goals. Plus/minus isn’t everything, but Jani Nyman is a minus‑five in just over 14 minutes of NHL ice time since being called up.
- One bright spot since the Olympic break: the penalty kill. The Kraken have killed 86 percent of their penalties, third‑best in the league over that span.
- It’s not saying much, but the Kraken are the best team in the Pacific when playing other Pacific teams. They have five divisional games left.
- I know it won’t be feasible for everyone, but seeing the Kraken play in Finland sounds like an incredible experience. Based on all the texts I’ve received since the announcement, I am not the only one who thinks so.
- Injuries are part of the game, but it really stings not having some of Seattle’s top forwards available. With so many close games, it’s not hard to imagine guys like Jaden Schwartz and (more recently) Jared McCann could have made a difference.
- Congratulations to the Wisconsin Badgers on winning the Women’s National Championship. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on women’s hockey, but I’ve casually watched for over a decade, and the skill level this weekend was unlike anything I’ve seen from the college game. The talent pool is deep and trending upward.
- On the NCAA men’s side, the Kraken will have three prospects in the 16‑team NCAA tournament: Clarke Caswell (Denver), Zaccharya Wisdom (Western Michigan), and Ollie Josephson (North Dakota). The tournament kicks off Thursday.
- I mentioned this on the most recent Sound Of Hockey Podcast, but the Seattle Torrent now average the highest attendance across the league. If you haven’t been to a game yet, check them out. Those games are a ton of fun.
Player performances
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard (CVF/SEA) – OFM posted two goals and three assists over two games for Coachella Valley, including the overtime winner.
Jake O’Brien (BFD/SEA) – O’Brien had eight points over the Brantford Bulldogs’ final two regular‑season games. He finished the year leading the OHL in assists and placed third in points. The Bulldogs open their playoffs Friday against the Sudbury Wolves.
Semyon Vyazovoi (SLA/SEA) – The Russian goaltending prospect closed out his KHL season with a 39‑save shutout. He finished fifth in the league in save percentage. The KHL playoffs begin this week.
The week ahead
I don’t say this lightly: this could be the nail‑in‑the‑coffin week for the Seattle Kraken. They have one of the toughest stretches on their schedule at the worst possible time. After having already lost at Nashville and Columbus, they’ll face Florida on Tuesday, Tampa Bay on Thursday, and then a Saturday matinee against world-beating Buffalo Sabres. Even Florida, who will be looking for payback after their embarrassing loss in Seattle last week, will be a tough out. There’s a chance Tampa Bay and Buffalo ease off the gas as they prepare for the playoffs, but I wouldn’t count on it.
The Kraken put themselves in this position by squandering opportunities over the last few weeks. Anything less than three points, which is a big ask, will likely push them out of realistic playoff contention.