Have the Seattle Kraken actually improved this offseason?

We’ve reached the dog days of the hockey summer, when general managers and other members of NHL front offices pack up and head to their respective cottages. During this period between the quieting of free-agent signings and the start of training camps in September, very little—like, practically zero—business historically gets done between franchises. It’s a time when teams begin to look relatively “set” as they head into the next season.

Much like last summer around this time, I find myself still waiting for news of the big offseason acquisition from the Seattle Kraken, realizing that with every passing day, such a blockbuster becomes less and less likely. I recall asking my co-hosts on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, John Barr and Curtis Isacke, during this period last summer if it was possible the Kraken would actually head into the 2025-26 season with effectively the same roster as the year before. Surely, they wouldn’t run it back, right?

John predicted that was exactly what they would do, and indeed, that’s ultimately what Seattle did. Once this quiet pocket on the hockey calendar arrived, it became clear that Mason Marchment would remain the biggest get of last summer… and we all know how that turned out.

Now, following big promises being made at end-of-season press conferences, it’s looking like the Kraken—after acquiring Mackie Samoskevich, re-signing Bobby McMann, letting Jaden Schwartz, Jamie Oleksiak, and Eeli Tolvanen walk, and taking a painfully public rejection from Jason Robertson—could be all but done altering their roster for next season.

Seattle crumbled in spectacular fashion after the Olympic break in 2025-26 and finished well outside the playoff bubble. After that collapse, it was clear that personnel improvements were needed to get the Kraken into the postseason conversation for 2026-27. Has that happened? Or have they actually gotten worse this offseason?

Improvement or decline?

Whether general manager Jason Botterill has actually improved his club this offseason is hard to say. He was smart not to blow a bunch of his abundant cap space on marginal free agents, but the trade market didn’t work out the way many of us expected and hoped.

On paper, the Kraken lost three veteran players in Oleksiak, Schwartz, and Tolvanen, assuming Tolvanen’s time in Seattle is done. At this point, the 27-year-old Finn remains an unsigned, unrestricted free agent, so he could theoretically return if the Kraken wanted him back. But we will assume here that the Goodship Tolvy has sailed.

To backfill those departures, Seattle added only Samoskevich and 6-foot-9 depth forward Curtis Douglas. What all that amounts to is essentially a wash in terms of offensive production.

Now, Samoskevich could be a great fit. He played down the lineup in his first two full NHL seasons with the Florida Panthers and averaged just 14:28 of ice time last season. At 23 years old, a reunion with his old University of Michigan buddy, Matty Beniers, coupled with an opportunity to play true top-six minutes, could result in a nice boost from his 31 points (15-16—31) in 2024-25 and 32 points (12-20—32) in 2025-26. There is real upside there.

Is the young Samoskevich better than a 34-year-old Jaden Schwartz? I would say yes, although Schwartz was one of the few players in deep sea blue who was consistently willing to go to the dirty areas. Still, call it a slight upgrade from an older veteran to a younger, speedier winger just reaching his prime.

The other piece to remember is that after McMann’s acquisition at the NHL Trade Deadline, Schwartz ended up playing way down the lineup, dropping as low as the fourth line on some nights. Not only did he seem ready to move on, but his fit in the lineup had also become muddied after his return from a scary facial injury—he was clipped in the face by a skate on March 7—that kept him out for a month late in the season.

Schwartz was a good soldier and an impactful player from Day 1 of the franchise, but it was time for the Kraken to let him walk.

As for a Tolvanen replacement, that will almost surely have to come from within. Assuming no other trades before the start of the season, Botterill is banking on young players like Ryan Winterton, Jacob Melanson, Berkly Catton, and others in the system to take additional steps. He has said publicly that he does not want to add a bunch of depth players to block the youngsters out of the lineup.

On the back end, Oleksiak certainly had his fair share of detractors within the Kraken fanbase, so many folks were fine to see him head across the border to sign with the Vancouver Canucks. I, too, got frustrated with Oleksiak’s long stretches of non-physically imposing play—he could truly be a dominant and scary defensive force if he wanted to—but I always thought he was a bit underappreciated by fans. He played hard minutes, blocked shots, and used his long reach to make it difficult for opponents to get to the front of Seattle’s net.

Oleksiak’s role and Lane Lambert’s trust in him certainly eroded as last season went on, though, so it was time for him to move on. What concerns me is that there isn’t an obvious “shutdown” defensive replacement waiting in the wings. It looks like one of Cale Fleury or Josh Mahura will get a more regular role in 2026-27, after each played 23 games for the Kraken last season.

The Bobby McMann X-factor

McMann’s impact on this team’s outlook is perplexing. He ended up being an incredible acquisition for Botterill, potting 10 goals in just 18 games as a Kraken and totaling 29 goals in 78 games between Toronto and Seattle. Botterill said his main priority this offseason was extending McMann, and he was able to bring the speedy winger back for six years at a reasonable $5.75 million annual cap hit.

But why did the Kraken spiral into a pit of misery after McMann arrived? It certainly wasn’t his fault, but something happened after the Olympic break that caused nearly every other player in the room to lose confidence.

Perhaps the summer will give those players an opportunity to reset and clear the negative vibes that were permeating through the dressing room in the closing weeks of the season. And perhaps having McMann around from the start will give him a chance to play some winning hockey in Seattle for a change, something he has yet to experience.

Outstanding business

There are still rumors floating around that the Kraken could be looking to add a player before the start of the season, and let’s not forget that the Shane Wright situation has not been resolved. He has requested a trade and remains on the Kraken roster at this point. Meanwhile, we’re heading into the final seasons of Jared McCann’s and Vince Dunn’s respective contracts. Trading either or both still makes sense, but it feels like we’re past that point in the offseason.

By the way, McCann still posted 20 goals despite ongoing injury woes that limited him to just 52 games in 2025-26. Assuming he is here for the full season (and he did have a procedure done immediately following the end of the season, so perhaps he gets back to full health), could we see a bounce-back campaign from him as he looks for one more big payday?

I say all this as a reminder that it is not set in stone that this is how the Kraken will begin the season. But if I had to guess, this is how the lineup will look on Opening Night.

How to feel about Seattle’s chances

I’ve mostly felt pessimistic about the way things have gone for the Kraken front office this offseason, most notably with Robertson’s rebuff and Wright’s trade request. But I also remember that this team was firmly in a playoff spot at the beginning of February before faceplanting down the stretch.

So, while that pessimism gnaws away at the front of my mind, I also can’t help feeling little tinges of optimism in the back of my mind that perhaps this young group will learn from what caused things to go sideways late in the year. Maybe Lambert can get them to believe in themselves again, and those painful lessons of 2025-26 will help the players see it through and reach the postseason.

That does feel like a long shot, though, doesn’t it?