The Seattle Kraken continued reconstructing some positive feelings in their locker room Monday with a 3-1 win over the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks, frustrating them into submission with stellar goaltending and opportunistic scoring.
Jordan Eberle scored twice, Freddy Gaudreau scored once, and Philipp Grubauer was outstanding to help Seattle to its second straight win on the heels of a miserable 1-9-1 run.
Coach Lane Lambert credited the fourth line of Tye Kartye, Ben Meyers, and Jacob Melanson for helping turn the tide of a game that was often dominated by Anaheim but remained anybody’s contest until very late.
“They turned it around for us in the third period,” Lambert said. “A couple of great shifts, a couple of big hits, got us emotionally involved. And I thought that between them and Philipp Grubauer, it’s probably the main reason why we won the game.”
So that was nice… but… the Kraken’s already long injured list apparently added yet another member on Monday.
Here are Three Takeaways from a 3-1 Kraken win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Takeaway #1: What a game for Grubi
It’s no coincidence that in these two straight wins over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and the Ducks on Monday, the Kraken have gotten stellar goaltending from Joey Daccord and Grubauer.
The German Gentleman was razor sharp against Anaheim, making the saves he was supposed to make while also coming up with some acrobatic stops that he had no business making. Lambert called Grubauer Seattle’s “best player” in the game.
In all, Grubauer stopped 39 of 40 shots, his highest total of the season.
“I mean, it’s not ideal [having that many shots],” Grubauer said. “Like in the second period, I don’t think we got too much going. And we sat back a little bit, so we definitely learned from that. But we stick together. Kartsy, obviously, huge hit, guys stepping up for each other, that’s huge, and we found a way to play it the right way in the last period there.”
Considering back-to-backs have been a massive challenge for this club over the last season and a half, getting a performance like this from Grubauer in the first of two games in two nights—with Joey ready to back the boys when they’re on tired legs Tuesday in Los Angeles—sets the team up for (potential) success.
Takeaway #2: A big night for Eberle
While the Kraken got caved in on most statistical metrics in this game, they won a classic bend-don’t-break type of contest. Freddy Gaudreau broke the ice at 4:49 of the second period with a power-play goal after Chandler Stephenson drove to the net and drew a penalty. With the puck pinballing around Lukas Dostal, Kaapo Kakko and Shane Wright both took whacks at it before it landed on Gaudreau’s stick, and he lofted it past the prone Ducks netminder for his second goal of the season.
After Mikael Granlund tied the game 1-1 at 15:40 of the second, captain Jordan Eberle took it from there.
Midway through the third period, Eberle struck for his first of two goals. Off a quickly developing 3-on-2 rush with his recently tweaked line alongside Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko, Kakko sent a rushed, fluttering chip pass to Beniers. Beniers made a spectacular play to bat it down and somehow corral it in time to slide it over to Eberle. Eberle delayed and got Dostal to drop down, then sniped it over his shoulder against the grain.
Eberle followed that up with an empty-netter at 19:24 of the third to seal the win.
Takeaway #3: Vince Dunn injured?
It is bonkers how many injuries this team has had this season. What started with injuries to key players like Stephenson, Kakko, and Ryker Evans in training camp has slowly evolved throughout the season, with important pieces going into and out of the lineup like there’s a revolving door into the injured ward.
It was announced Monday morning that one of Seattle’s top two offensive defensemen, Brandon Montour, would miss four weeks after hand surgery stemming from his fight in defense of the now-traded Mason Marchment. Montour joined McCann, Jaden Schwartz, Berkly Catton, and Matt Murray on the shelf.
But would you believe me if I told you that Vince Dunn—Seattle’s other top offensive defenseman—may now be injured as well? He got blindsided in the second period and appeared to run face-first into Ross Johnston’s shoulder pad. After standing on the ice for a moment at the stoppage, Dunn flipped his lid. He kicked the door, broke his stick on the dasher, nearly took off the heads of Joey Daccord, equipment manager James Stuckey, and a random security guard, then threw a bag down the hallway and finally exited the game.
Vince Dunn left the game after this and did not return.
All-time meltdown from him before heading down the tunnel.
Add him to the injury list that already includes Jared McCann, Brandon Montour, Jaden Schwartz, Berkly Catton, and Matt Murray. Crazy. #SeaKrakenpic.twitter.com/BXV31SWq6p
We wondered recently how the Kraken could survive without Montour. How can they survive without Dunn or Montour?
Bonus Takeaway: The Kraken are 2-0-0 since Mason Marchment was traded
Since the hockey world is abuzz with Marchment’s hot start with the Columbus Blue Jackets—three goals in his first two games since the trade—we’ll simply note that Seattle has won both of its games since the deal.
One side benefit has been Kakko elevating onto the top line. Kakko had been working well with Shane Wright and Jani Nyman, but he looks even better alongside Beniers and Eberle.
“[Kaapo is] working, he makes plays, he holds onto pucks,” Lambert said. “It’s a good spot for him. I hadn’t seen him in that spot prior to a couple games ago, and it’s been a good change for him to get up there and those guys to have him there.”
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
The Seattle Kraken, at least momentarily, ended their skid Saturday night with a gutsy 4–2 win over the San Jose Sharks. It’s been a grueling four‑week stretch, 10 losses in 11 games, and while the Kraken haven’t played outright poor hockey, their issues run deeper than bad luck. Injuries, a thin roster, and too many nights where the opponent simply had more have all caught up to them. Saturday didn’t fix everything, but it did give them a bit of reprieve from this brutal stretch.
Playing tight games
Regardless of what the record says, the Kraken have been competitive all season. As rough as the last several weeks have been, they’re still keeping games close and giving themselves a chance. Their last eight games have all been decided by one goal, and they’ve played 25 one‑goal games this season when you exclude empty-netters, second most in the league behind the Los Angeles Kings.
A great example came last Tuesday against the best team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche. The Kraken went toe-to-toe with them and entered the third period with a one‑goal lead before Colorado flipped the game with two goals (plus an empty-netter) in the final frame. In the first 20-plus games of the season, that game almost certainly would have reached overtime and earned Seattle at least a point. But that just isn’t happening right now. In their first 23 games, the Kraken reached overtime 10 times; over their last 10, they’ve made it to the extra frame just once.
They mentioned this on the postgame show Saturday night: when Vince Dunn turned the puck over deep in the Kraken zone, leading to San Jose’s go‑ahead goal early in the third, it felt like another “here we go again” moment. But the Kraken responded less than a minute and a half later to tie it, and suddenly the energy shifted. A few minutes after that, Ryan Lindgren scored his first as a Kraken, the eventual game‑winner.
Departure of Mason Marchment
As you probably know by now, the Kraken shipped off Mason Marchment on Friday for a couple of draft picks from Columbus. There was some excitement about Marchment providing additional depth scoring, but that never materialized. Coming into the season, I thought it was reasonable to expect around 20 goals from him, roughly 0.25 per game. Instead, he managed just four goals in 29 games (0.14 per game). He also struggled defensively, leading Kraken forwards in turnovers and penalties taken.
Considering the drop‑off in performance, it’s actually impressive that Seattle got more in return than what they paid for him in the offseason.
More trades to come?
Given how the season has gone, a lot of fans are expecting, or demanding, a sell‑off of veteran players. As always, the team will listen to all inquiries, but there’s no rush. The trade market doesn’t really heat up until about 30 days before the deadline. If the Kraken do become sellers, and right now that seems likely, they’ll want as many teams in the mix as possible to drive up demand. Some clubs don’t yet know whether they’re buyers or sellers, and others may develop deeper needs as the deadline approaches.
The other side of the equation is prospect readiness. You don’t want to bring up players who aren’t ready for the NHL, and right now there aren’t many in Coachella Valley who are prepared for full‑time roles. Rushing them would be detrimental to their development.
Other musings
The Kraken have the same number of standings points as they did at this time last season.
When Seattle scored the empty‑netter against San Jose on Saturday with 1:30 left, it was their first two‑goal lead since Nov. 15, also against San Jose. They’ve held a two-plus-goal lead for just 4.4 percent of their total game time this season, the lowest rate in the NHL.
One encouraging trend: special teams. The penalty kill hasn’t been perfect, but over the last seven games it’s operating at 80 percent after sitting at a league‑worst 64.8 percent prior. The power play has also surged, converting at 30 percent over the same stretch after sitting at 17 percent for the season.
Seattle averages 0.65 points per game when scoring first and just 0.31 when allowing the first goal.
In case you missed it, Brandon Montour is out four weeks. Add it to the long list of significant injuries this season. Montour is second on the team in time on ice and has often dragged the Kraken back into games. Injuries happen to everyone, but when they hit your best players, the impact is brutal.
Brandon Montour out approximately four weeks after hand surgery, per @SeattleKrakenPR.
It was great to see the Torrent open the 100 level and Space Needle Lounge for Sunday’s game versus the Boston Fleet. Seattle is averaging the second‑highest attendance in the league this season.
Goal of the week
Regular readers and Sound Of Hockey listeners know how much I love this kid:
WHAT A GOAL BY OSCAR MOLGAARD. HIS 5TH OF THE SEASON AND GIVING THE BIRDS BACK THE LEAD
By the way, the Kraken are 2‑0‑0 with Molgaard in the lineup.
Player performances
Chandler Stephenson (SEA) – Riding a four‑game goal streak with five points in his last four. He also has points in eight straight. Jagger Firkus (CVF/SEA) – Five points in two weekend games. He has 13 goals in 26 games after scoring 15 in 69 last season. Nathan Villeneuve (SBY/SEA) – Eight points in his last four games. He has 14 multi‑point games and is on pace for 98 points in the OHL.
The week ahead
The Kraken face a dreaded back‑to‑back with games against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, starting Monday night in Anaheim. Both teams sit ahead of Seattle in the standings, but the Kraken have beaten each of them once already this season. Nothing is easy for Seattle right now, but both the Ducks and Kings look more vulnerable than their records suggest. Anaheim is 5‑5‑0 in its last 10 and has been giving up goals in bunches. The Kings are 4‑2‑4 and struggling to score. If there’s ever a good time to face these teams, this might be it.
After the holiday break, the Kraken return home to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday the 28th. The Flyers have lost four of their last five but reached overtime in four of those games, including two against Carolina.
Given how Seattle has been playing, grabbing three of six possible points this week would be solid. But if they can snag three of the four points available against Pacific Division teams, that would be a real confidence boost, and a sign that this slump might finally be ending.
And finally…
There’s plenty of other hockey to enjoy this week. The Seattle Torrent play one more home game this month when they host Marie‑Philip Poulin and the Montreal Victoire on Tuesday night at Climate Pledge. After the break, they head to Dallas for their first Takeover Tour game against the New York Sirens. Both games will air locally on Fox 13+ and YouTube (though you wouldn’t know it from the PWHL schedule page).
World Juniors also kicks off Friday. The Kraken will be represented on at least three teams (Finland, Sweden, and Czechia) and possibly a fourth if Blake Fiddler sticks with Team USA. Regardless of who you’re rooting for, the tournament is always a blast. All games will air on NHL Network, which is getting harder to find with the current streaming landscape.
This column will likely take next week off, but the hockey certainly won’t. Between the Torrent’s final home game of the month, the Takeover Tour stop in Dallas, and a World Juniors tournament loaded with Kraken prospects, there’s plenty to keep Seattle fans entertained through the holidays. It’s been a chaotic, injury‑riddled, occasionally maddening calendar year for the Kraken, and hopefully this team can turn the page with the new calendar year. Thanks for reading, for riding the waves with me, and for making this space such a fun one to write in. Enjoy the holidays — we’ll pick things back up in the new year.
The Losing Streak Cynthia is in the books!! Seattle put together a strong third period and earned its first regulation win in a month. The last regulation win came Nov. 20 against Chicago.
Eeli Tolvanen and Chandler Stephenson each recorded two-point nights, with a goal and an assist. Stephenson extended his career-best point streak to eight games, with five goals and four assists during the run. The Kraken are 2-6 in that span, but this win offered a needed step forward.
Here are three takeaways.
Takeaway #1: Kraken on their heels in the first
Coming into the game, the Kraken were 1-9-1 in their previous 11 games. Facing a division rival and sitting seven points behind the Sharks and the final wild-card spot, urgency was expected. Instead, Seattle allowed four Grade A chances in the first five minutes.
Four really tough shots on Joey Daccord in the first 5 minutes of this game, but he's stood tall so far. #SeaKraken looking messy on the defensive end…
Seattle did push back and outshot San Jose 17-12 in the period, but the overall play remained shaky. One bright spot was the penalty kill, which handled two minor penalties with ease. That momentum did not carry over, as the Sharks converted on their next powerplay in the second period on a goal from Adam Gaudette.
Sharks tie it on the power play. Starts with a face-off loss for Freddy Gaudreau. Celebrini's shot hits bodies and pinballs to Adam Gaudette for a tap-in.
According to MoneyPuck, San Jose posted 1.61 expected goals in the first period compared to Seattle’s 0.80. It was a poor start, but the Kraken escaped the period tied 0-0.
Takeaway #2: Joey Daccord is a beast
The only reason the game remained scoreless through the first period was Daccord. He turned aside high-danger chances and consistently kept Seattle in the game. Daccord finished the night with 3.41 goals saved above expected.
One of his superpowers is puck handling. On Seattle’s lone powerplay, San Jose cleared the zone and headed off for a line change. Daccord recovered the puck and fired it to Freddy Gaudreau at the far blue line, creating a scoring chance that Yaroslav Askarov was able to stop.
Daccord closed the night with 35 saves, a .946 save percentage, and the win. Without his performance, this outcome would not have been possible. The defense struggled in the first two periods, but confidence in the goaltender allowed the Kraken to stay committed to the game plan.
After practice, captain Jordan Eberle said, “I look at [the 9 losses], I think we are tied or leading in the third period in like six of them.”
That trend nearly continued. Seattle entered the third tied 1-1, but the Sharks took the lead just 36 seconds in. Collin Graf picked off a Vince Dunn pass, put the puck on net, and watched his shot hit the post, then Daccord, before crossing the line.
Collin Graf makes it 2–1 Sharks as the puck pinballs around, hits the post, then caroms off Joey Daccord and into the net. #SeaKrakenpic.twitter.com/1ySOZIdGn5
Kraken fans braced for another third-period collapse. Instead, Seattle responded with two goals in a span of 2:32 to take a 3-2 lead. Neither goal was flashy. Both came from defensemen simply getting pucks through traffic.
Ryker Evans tied the game by holding the blue line and snapping a wrist shot on net. Ryan Lindgren followed with his first goal as a Kraken and the eventual game-winner, taking a pass from Stephenson and firing a wrist shot from the top of the circle.
Seattle tightened defensively over the final 15 minutes and slowed the game down. Stephenson added an empty-net goal to seal the 4-2 win and finally end Losing Streak Darren, I mean Cynthia.
Next up
This was not Seattle’s sharpest game during the current stretch, but it was effective. The Kraken kept the game close, leaned on strong goaltending, and capitalized in the third period. Improvements are still needed on the penalty kill and in defensive coverage to reduce pressure on Daccord.
The Kraken are off Sunday before continuing their California road trip. They face Anaheim on Monday and Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week and next, these will be slimmed-down “holiday” updates. I expect to return with fully loaded reports from the World Junior Championship and a mid-season Kraken prospect ranking as we move into the new year.
In the interim, we’ll still bring you all of the Down on the Farm content you’ve come to expect, including news from around the organization, weekly and season-to-date data updates, all-shifts videos, Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, a preview of the week ahead, and more.
If you have a Seattle Kraken prospect–related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey. Happy holidays to all!
More information on the Mason Marchment deal
NHL trade rumors ticked up this past week as the league approached two milestones. The first was the “Roster Freeze.” From midnight ET Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, through midnight ET on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, teams would not be able to make trades, place players on waivers, or loan players—with the exception of transactions made necessary by injuries (i.e., emergency recalls) or the activation of players off injured lists.
The second marker was 75 days before the March 6, 2026, NHL Trade Deadline—which fell on Dec. 21, 2025. Why was this date important? A new CBA rule restricting multiple salary-retention transactions on a contract within 75 days meant that if a player was going to be moved to a contender at the deadline with up to 75 percent of his salary “retained” by other clubs, a first trade involving that player would need to be completed by Dec. 21. In reality, due to the Holiday Roster Freeze, this meant the deal needed to get done by the end of the day on Friday.
As it turns out, we didn’t see any moves involving salary retention on Friday, but we did see two NHL players moved before the Roster Freeze. The Los Angeles Kings traded Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens. And the Seattle Kraken dealt Mason Marchment to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It’s often apocryphal to regard a deal announced close to a deadline as a “last-minute deal.” In this case, though, it seems the deal really did come together in the waning moments before the Roster Freeze. Aaron Portzline of The Athleticreports that the Kraken and Blue Jackets did not begin discussions in earnest until Kraken GM Jason Botterill called Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 19. After three hours of negotiations, the teams placed the trade call formalizing the transaction at 11:22 pm ET.
While Marchment had a 10-team no-trade list, the Blue Jackets were not on the list.
As mentioned, there was no salary retention involved in the deal. Seattle has all three retention slots available as the team moves toward the deadline. This is relevant if the Kraken become true deadline sellers, with veterans on expiring contracts like Jamie Oleksiak, Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, and Eeli Tolvanen potentially available.
The Seattle Kraken have significant draft capital to make upgrades
There has been some (slight) confusion about the return for Mason Marchment. All reports agree the Kraken received a fourth-round pick originally held by the New York Rangers—acquired by the Blue Jackets in the Jack Roslovic deal—in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft, as well as a 2027 second-round pick. Reports differ as to whether the Kraken received Columbus’s 2027 second-round pick or a 2027 second-round pick that originally belonged to the Minnesota Wild.
The trade history is a bit complicated, but I believe I’ve gotten to the bottom of it with the help of PuckPedia. Columbus acquired the Wild pick in a 2024 transaction that sent David Jiricek to Minnesota, giving the Blue Jackets two second-rounders. Columbus then traded the lower of those two 2027 second-round picks to the Colorado Avalanche in a deal for Miles Wood over the summer. Under the terms of that deal, however, if Columbus traded the other pick in the interim, the Avalanche would receive that pick instead (regardless of whether it ultimately ended up being higher or lower).
Since the Kraken’s official social media account indicated the team obtained Columbus’s own second-rounder, we can surmise that Columbus will be sending that pick to Seattle and Minnesota’s pick to Colorado. With Minnesota primed to be a Stanley Cup contender for the next two years, this could be a meaningful difference.
Following the deal, the Kraken now have eight picks—four in the first round and four in the second round—across the next two drafts. In addition to its own first-round picks, Seattle has first-rounders originally assigned to Tampa Bay in each of the next two drafts. In addition to its own second-round picks, Seattle has second-rounders from Columbus and the Winnipeg Jets in 2027.
This gives the team ample latitude to make an aggressive move for a top-of-the-lineup player if such an opportunity comes along, without disrupting its prospect pipeline. And this is before potential transactions involving expiring veteran contracts at the deadline.
Notes on three more Kraken prospects
Jake O’Brien | F | Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
After a week of camp and one pre-tournament game, Team Canada announced its skater cuts, effectively finalizing its World Juniors roster of forwards and defensemen—absent an unexpected late assignment from an NHL team. Unfortunately for Kraken prospect Jake O’Brien, he was among those released from camp.
We had previewed this as a possibility when he was skating with a “spare parts” line during camp that included a likely cut (and Brantford teammate) in Marek Vanacker. It is still likely to be a disappointment for O’Brien. He is unquestionably one of Canada’s 12 most skilled forwards, but he has struggled to produce on the national stage in the past.
From my vantage point, O’Brien plays a game that can seem fairly “quiet” for several shifts until he suddenly unlocks two or three high-danger scoring chances with his passing and hockey IQ.
It’s unsurprising that O’Brien would not necessarily impress in a camp setting, but if a lack of camp impact was the reason he was cut, it feels short-sighted. It sure would be a shame if that came back to haunt Team Canada.
O’Brien still projects to figure prominently on next year’s World Juniors team, when he will be 19 years old.
Alexis Bernier | D | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMHL)
Though he is still recovering from summer ACL reconstruction surgery, Alexis Bernier was traded from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens on Friday, Dec. 19.
The Saguenéens are a top QMJHL team this season and have significant playoff aspirations. The return in draft capital was substantial, and there was no indication in the reporting that the picks were “conditional” on Bernier’s return to the ice. This creates the impression that there is optimism for Bernier’s return toward the end of the QMJHL season, even if there is no official timeline yet.
As always with junior trades, the trade of Bernier’s QMJHL rights has no impact on his status with the Kraken. Seattle retains his NHL rights as an unsigned 2024 third-round pick.
Visa Vedenpää | G | Kärpät (Liiga)
We noted last week that Vedenpää had not played in nearly a month while serving as the backup goaltender for Kärpät. The team finally got him some work on Tuesday of last week, assigning him to Hermes, a team in the second-tier Finnish league, Mestis. Vedenpää stopped 33 of 36 shots on goal, but Hermes fell by a 3–2 score.
Kraken prospects data update
Forward Barrett Hall scored a goal and added two assists for the St. Cloud State Huskies last weekend, which was enough to earn him Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week in a relatively quiet seven-day stretch for Seattle’s prospect pool.
O’Brien and Nathan Villeneuve are second and fifth, respectively, in the OHL in points per game. Both project as NHL pieces for the Kraken (or elsewhere).
In addition to a solid Liiga start, Kim Saarinen drew a start in a World Juniors pre-tournament game for Finland on Friday, Dec. 19. He stopped 14 of 17 shots in a Finland win over Germany. It remains to be determined if he will see time in net when the real games begin.
After a slow start due to injury, Nikke Kokko has assumed a true starter workload for Coachella Valley over the last few weeks, starting nine of the Firebirds’ last 11 games.
Highlight of the Week
It hasn’t been a great season for Eduard Sale, but every once in a while, he’ll still flash the skill level that made him a first-round pick.
🚨 SALE WITH THE POWERPLAY GOAL AND TO TIE THE GAME 🚨
With a light holiday schedule ahead, we’ll give our Deep Sea Hockey Games of the Week to World Juniors pre-tournament matchups currently underway. You can watch them (with a monthly subscription) on USAHockey.tv.
Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Tynan Lawrence
Tynan Lawrence’s stock has risen from potential top-15 pick to potential threat for the No. 1 overall pick, despite being slowed by injury for much of the fall. For many, Lawrence is the clear top center in the draft, with his primary appeal coming from his skating and two-way skill. Lawrence has been a volume scorer in the USHL, but the overall offensive skill is a tick below the level of a Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg.
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.
Mason Marchment, we hardly knew ye. The Seattle Kraken traded the 6-foot-5 winger to the Columbus Blue Jackets late Friday, mere minutes ahead of the NHL’s holiday roster freeze. In return, the Kraken received a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick, a slightly better return than the 2025 fourth-rounder and 2026 third-rounder that Seattle sent to Dallas to acquire him over the offseason.
“I’d like to thank Mason for his contributions to our club, and we wish him and his family all the best in Columbus,” general manager Jason Botterill said via press release. “This trade gives us more draft capital and flexibility as we look to improve our team moving forward.”
Despite coach Lane Lambert utilizing Marchment in a high-leverage role, things just never really got going during his short tenure in Seattle. He posted four goals and nine assists in 29 games but also led the Kraken forwards in giveaways and—based on our Twitter mentions almost every single night—was not exactly beloved by the fanbase.
The transaction also suggests the team was not overly enamored with his sometimes lackadaisical performance. Trading him in the midst of Losing Streak Cynthia, when the Kraken have lost 10 of their last 11, and with Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, Brandon Montour, and Berkly Catton all out with injuries, tells you everything you need to know about how the organization viewed him. There was clearly no interest in bringing him back after his contract expires following this season.
There were some good moments for Marchment with the Kraken, like his Opening Night goal against the Anaheim Ducks and his two-goal game against the Utah Mammoth a week ago. But the highlights were few and far between, and he also had some brutal gaffes and seemed to lose the puck for no particular reason multiple times per game.
He was also at the center of several on-ice controversies, including after he blew up Darnell Nurse against Edmonton on Nov. 29 and wouldn’t answer the proverbial bell. That sequence led to the Oilers chasing him around and taking runs at other players, including Catton.
Here's the root of the disagreement. Mason Marchment leveled Darnell Nurse from behind. Adam Henrique challenged him, but he wouldn't accept a fight.
Seattle lost that game 4-0, and Marchment was then not in the lineup for the rematch on Dec. 4 due to a mysterious “injury.” Edmonton got its vengeance on the Kraken with a 9-4 drubbing in that one, and we never did find out the designation on that injury…
The most recent bit of controversy came when Marchment got into a post-whistle tussle with Josh Manson in Seattle’s 5-3 loss to Colorado on Tuesday, throwing gloved punches at the Avalanche defenseman and inciting a full-line brouhaha. When Manson dropped his gloves, Marchment appeared to shy away. In the ensuing chaos, Brandon Montour did drop his gloves and started pounding away on Brent Burns. Montour later left the game with an injury and was unavailable on Thursday.
Marchment did deliver two unforgettable moments, though:
Just an all-time goal celebration from Mason Marchment. #SeaKraken broadcast doing him dirty with the reverse angle here.😂 pic.twitter.com/Zds666dQro
With Seattle now in last place in the Pacific Division and seven points out of a playoff spot, is this an indication the team is officially in sell mode? Heck, are the Kraken in tank mode, even? Or does the front office view this as addition by subtraction—moving on from a player that simply wasn’t working out here?
Check back to Sound Of Hockey for more analysis on the Mason Marchment trade in the coming days…
