The Seattle Kraken are off to their best start in franchise history, with a 7-3-1 record through 11 games.

Coming into the season, there were a few factors we pointed to as reasons to believe this team could compete and potentially make the playoffs. Those factors included, but were not limited to, (A.) key players like Jared McCann and Brandon Montour returning at full health, (B.) a full year of Bobby McMann, (C.) continuity with a familiar coaching staff, and (D.) maybe… just maybe… the “kids” would take a step.

In this Kraken Notebook, I’ll update you on how things are progressing in all four of those areas.

Factor “A” – Good health for key players

This first success factor is suddenly very much in jeopardy.

First, it was a concern with Brandon Montour, who left a 4-3 overtime loss with a lower-body injury on Oct. 15. He then missed the subsequent 8-3 drubbing at the hands of the Florida Panthers but returned for the 4-3 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday and set a franchise record with 30:44 of time on ice that night. He also scored in that game and did so again with a big blast in a 5-3 win over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday.

So, all appears to be… at least relatively well on the Montour front.

But McCann—who said he was feeling like he was in peak shape in Training Camp after a leg injury lingered all last season—can no longer be considered healthy. He did not participate in morning skate Saturday in advance of Seattle’s game against the Minnesota Wild, and the team confirmed he is out for the game and being evaluated for a lower-body injury. He was later placed on injured reserve.

I asked coach Lane Lambert on Saturday morning if he sees the injury as a short- or long-term thing, and he said, “I don’t have any idea… Well, I have somewhat of an idea, but we’re just waiting to see what happens here this afternoon before we make a final determination. Hopefully, it’s not [a long-term absence].”

I then observed McCann walking through the bowels of Climate Pledge Arena on crutches, so if I had to guess, this is a long-term thing.

The forward lines are now in flux, really, for the first time this season. The third and fourth lines have been huge for this team in the early going, but with McCann’s exit, Ryan Winterton will be elevated off the fourth line, and Kaapo Kakko will move up to the first line in McCann’s spot. Jani Nyman, meanwhile, has been recalled from AHL Coachella Valley, where he’s been scoring the lights out.

While things have gone well for Kakko on the Shane Wright/Berkly Catton line, he will surely welcome the expanded role.

“I think everyone cares about ice time,” Kakko said when asked how he feels about his third-line role and if he hoped to get more minutes. “I think that helps you get there, you have a chance to score a goal, so I hope that’s how it goes.”

Factor “B” – A full year of Bobby McMann

This is going reasonably well so far.

I wrote about this success factor in a previous Kraken Notebook, and the returns have been positive in the early stages of the season, with McMann notching three goals and two assists, plus two deciding shootout goals. I broke down his shootout approach in a recent video, so give that a watch if you haven’t.

Factor “C” – Continuity with a familiar coaching staff

In my “In the Booth with John Forslund” video, Forslund referenced the amount of turnover the Kraken have had in their five seasons of existence as a major challenge for the organization.

“The old saying is, ‘Losing is contagious,’” Forslund said. “And the reason is because it’s so hard to lose, and when franchises go through long periods of time and changes, the players alsmot become numb, and it just keeps happening over and over again.

“To be fair to these guys, there’s been way too many changes here in five years. You’ve had two general managers, three coaches, enough’s enough. There has to be some continuity. Maybe the first step in continuity is Lane Lambert.”

Chandler Stephenson pointed to this continuity Saturday morning when asked what feels different about the team this season compared to last.

“I think it’s pretty much the same makeup as last year. So guys kind of know what to expect, are familiar with one another, and I guess, we just know what we’re trying to do,” Stephenson said. “Whether it’s special teams or 5-on-5, it’s pretty black and white. So I think just the familiarity and just not satisfied, I guess, with last year and how things went. So just trying to make the most of it now.”

Factor “D” — The “kids” taking a step

The “kids” means guys like Shane Wright and Berkly Catton, neither of whom were exactly driving the bus for the Kraken last season.

By all accounts, Wright took a step back in production, dropping from 19 goals in 2024-25 to 12 in 2025-26 and assisting on 10 fewer goals than the year before. It was a year of hard learning for Wright, who is still just 22 years old, playing under a defensive-minded coach who used him in a sheltered role.

Meanwhile, Catton—who was just 19 years old last season and making the jump straight from the WHL to the NHL—somewhat surprisingly stayed with the big club all year despite looking out of his element at times, especially early on.

But both players made obvious progress in their development over the offseason, and while it’s still early in the campaign, watching them play has become downright fun. The two have chemistry and have jelled with both of the linemates they’ve had so far, Winterton for the first couple games and then Kakko.

“[The chemistry has] been great,” Catton said. “We had the whole last year too to kind of work together, which is nice. And then I think we had the offseason and came back a little bit more confident and just trying to attack games the best we can. I think we’re doing a pretty good job. We’ve just got to keep it going.”

“We’re just playing fast,” Wright added. “I think for ‘Berk’ and I, for sure, our game is a lot of speed, and we’ve got to have speed through the neutral zone.

“Just overall for both of us, it’s just confidence, holding onto pucks and making plays. I think that’s been a huge thing, and wanting the puck on the stick and wanting to to be out there, wanting to make plays in those moments.”

Meanwhile, the dust seems to have settled, at least for now, on Wright’s offseason drama, in which his agent publicly requested a trade for his client that never came to fruition. Wright is stronger, faster, and is exuding confidence. Plus, he seems to be taking his third-line wing role in stride this season.

“It’s an adjustment for sure,” Wright said of his move from center to wing. “D-zone responsibilities are different, you’re just kind of taking care of different areas on the ice, and coming out on D-zone breakouts. It’s a lot of wall plays, confrontations with their D on walls and stuff, and that’s been a bit of an adjustment.”

When I asked him straight-up if he likes playing wing or if he prefers playing center, Wright said: “It’s fine. I’m fine there. I think… I wouldn’t say, really, that I have too big of a preference, to be honest.”

Wright and Catton zip around the ice, playing fast and creatively and playing off each other beautifully, especially when they’re flying through the neutral zone with the puck.

And while they’re still down the lineup in third-line minutes, they’ve taken advantage of the friendly matchups that come with that. They’re making the most of their ice time and helping put opposing teams on their heels. According to MoneyPuck, the Wright/Catton/Kakko line owns 55.8 percent of the shot quality when they’re on the ice, with a solid sample size of 82.2 minutes together.

That 55.8 percent mark is the third-highest shot share for any Kraken line combination this season, behind only Wright/Catton/Winterton (64.3 percent in 17.5 minutes), which lasted just two games until Mackie Samoskevich returned from injury, and McCann/Matty Beniers/Samoskevich (56.7 percent in 73.7 minutes), which is no longer together.

This “success factor” of seeing the “kids” make progress this season seems to be one the Kraken are achieving. It’s also a massive reason that they’ve gotten out to this great start.