The first big milestone of the Seattle Kraken offseason comes Tuesday evening with the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, which will be televised on ESPN in the United States starting at 4:00 pm PT. As was the case last year, the Lottery will be broadcast “live,” with the draft order revealed to teams and fans in real time.
The Lottery sets the order of the top 16 picks of the first round of the NHL Draft. For the second straight year, the Kraken enter the Lottery in sixth position and with the sixth-highest odds to move up to the No. 1 overall pick.
How does the Lottery work? How did Seattle end up with the sixth-best Lottery odds? Why does the Lottery matter so much for Seattle? And who could be there when the Kraken pick? Let’s dig into those questions and more in this 2026 NHL Draft preview.
The plan is to return after the Lottery with quick thoughts on a few potential draft candidates once the Kraken pick is set. Beyond that, we also have our annual 2026 NHL Draft “data-only watchlist” coming soon. (Check out the preseason version here.) Closer to the draft, we’ll have the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. (Check out the mid-season version here.) So, keep it tuned to Sound Of Hockey for your continuing 2026 NHL Draft coverage.
How does the NHL Draft Lottery work?
The NHL Draft’s default selection rule places teams in reverse order of the final regular-season standings, with “ties” broken in the same manner as they would be for playoff qualification.
The 16 teams that fail to qualify for the NHL playoffs are assigned weighted Lottery odds based on the reverse standings order. Teams are then assigned a portion of 1,000 four-number combinations based on their Lottery odds. (See the full list here.) In other words, the team with the fewest standings points has the best Lottery odds and the most four-number combinations, the team with the second-fewest standings points has the second-best Lottery odds and the second-most number combinations, and so forth.
The NHL Draft Lottery then utilizes 14 ping pong balls, which are placed into a machine that randomizes them and releases four sequentially.
There are two drawings. The team with the four-digit combination corresponding to the sequence of the first drawing “wins” the Lottery. “Winning” means that the team moves up as many as 10 spots in the selection order. If the team finished in the bottom 11 in the standings, it moves to the No. 1 overall pick.
If the “winning” team finished 12th to 16th from last in the standings, then it does not move to No. 1, but instead only moves up the maximum 10 selections. For example, if the No. 13 team “wins” the first drawing, it moves up to the No. 3 pick.
The process is then repeated a second time, with the only difference being that in this second draw, teams can only move up as high as the No. 2 overall pick. If the team that “won” the first drawing wins again, there is a redraw until a different team wins. (In the rare circumstance that the No. 12 team “wins” the first Lottery draw and moves up to the No. 2 overall spot, this second draw can move a team up only as high as the No. 3 pick.)
After the second draw is completed, the remaining teams are then slotted based on the default order. Accordingly, no team can “fall” more than two draft spots in the Lottery. For example, the team with the best Lottery odds can only move down as far as the No. 3 pick. (The Kraken can only move down as far as the No. 8 pick.)
For those who want to follow the NHL Draft Lottery interactively, PuckPedia has an online tool where you can input the ping pong ball numbers as they are drawn and generate live odds for each team prevailing. That said, I presume ESPN and other networks will have a similar display on their broadcasts.
The Lottery is meant to decrease the unintended anti-competitive incentives that result when bad teams are given the best draft picks—particularly in a sport where a single superstar can make a big difference.
Of course, we’d be naive to think the incentive to “tank” for a better draft pick doesn’t still exist, even with the NHL Draft Lottery. But under the Lottery system, the “worst” team in the league has only a 25.5 percent chance of drafting first overall rather than 100 percent.
In a draft with a singular superstar, this could make a big difference in the behavior of NHL front offices. The system attempts to strike a balance between giving weaker teams a chance at the best talent while maintaining the integrity of competition.
Where do the Seattle Kraken stand in the Lottery?
The Seattle Kraken finished the 2025–26 NHL regular season with 79 points—a three-point improvement on last season’s results, but 21 points short of the 2022–23 playoff campaign. After an offseason in which the team turned over most of the coaching staff and expressed optimism about returning to the playoffs, the team’s performance “disappointed,” particularly down the stretch.
Seattle’s point total was the sixth-lowest in the NHL. As calculated by Tankathon, Seattle’s odds of picking at any given selection, and each NHL team’s odds of selecting No. 1 overall, are as follows:
In other words, there is a 15.4 percent chance Seattle’s pick position improves, a 34.1 percent chance it stays at No. 6 overall, and a 50.5 percent chance it diminishes.
How important is the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery?
Historical analysis suggests that the projected career production of a draft pick drops off steeply from the No. 1 pick onward. This year, my crude Data Score method (release coming next week) shows a difference between the first overall prospect on my watchlist and the sixth of similar magnitude to the difference between the sixth and the last picks of the seventh round.
The 2026 NHL Draft looks relatively weak from my vantage point in its depth through the first round. It starts well: there are two players at the top worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in an average draft—Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg.
After that, though, the draft lacks a supporting tier of talent that teams drafting in the three-to-five range would prefer to see. Before the season, there were a handful of players who looked like potential candidates to be picked in this range—including Keaton Verhoeff, Tynan Lawrence, and Ryan Roobroeck—but each has stalled in his production or taken steps back in scouting evaluations.
Looking at Data Score only, Seattle’s No. 8 pick last year, Jake O’Brien, would be the clear-cut No. 3 prospect if his profile from last year were dropped into this year’s draft.
Beyond the top five, there are a handful of players who might be a better fit in the five-to-10 range in an average draft, but those players will be pushed up in this draft due to the dearth of top talent.
All of this sets up a highly consequential Draft Lottery for the Seattle Kraken. If the Kraken move up, the team could obtain a transformative player. If the Kraken stay put or fall, it’s possible they miss out on an average top-10-worthy talent entirely.
2026 NHL Draft names to monitor
There are only two names to watch if the Kraken win the lottery. Failing that, the field is murkier, particularly if two high-producing defensemen are off the board by the time Seattle picks.
Gavin McKenna | Left Wing | Penn State Univ. (NCAA)
McKenna was the consensus No. 1 prospect in the fall after blow-torching the WHL in his draft-minus-one season. While he had some quiet stretches (and an off-ice incident) during his freshman year at Penn State, McKenna ended the year with 51 points. This was the fourth-most among draft-eligible college players in the last 20 years, behind only Adam Fantilli, Macklin Celebrini, and Jack Eichel.
McKenna doesn’t have dynamic straight-line speed, but he can manipulate and beat defenses with his skating, possession, and passing in-zone. He creates space for himself and his teammates with the ease of a star.
Nitpicking his game, scouts fault him for floating around the perimeter too often. But even if he doesn’t improve in this area, the extremity of his skill level is unlikely to be denied. Mitch Marner or early-career Connor Bedard are reasonable comparisons, even if McKenna doesn’t fully hit his ceiling. He’s likely to slot into an NHL lineup right away.
Ivar Stenberg | Left Wing | Frölunda HC (SHL)
The single best statistical season in the two-year sample I assembled for thousands of draft-eligible players was Stenberg’s 2025–26 season in the SHL. In fact, Stenberg compiled the third-most points ever by a draft-eligible SHL player, outpacing players like Elias Lindholm, Nicklas Bäckström, Leo Carlsson, and William Eklund, just to name a few.
Scouts credit a strong offensive package of possession, shot, and passing skills, matched by high-end hockey IQ. While one might suspect a weaker defensive or puck-battle profile, he receives strong grades in those areas as well.
Stenberg projects as a first-line winger down the road and is the most ready-made forward in the draft to help an NHL team this coming season. Even in a draft with McKenna, Stenberg is the hottest prospect coming into the draft.
Chase Reid | Right Defense | Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
From what I have seen of the top defense prospects in this draft, Chase Reid stands out as the most dynamic offensive presence. The 6-foot-2 righty is a strong skater and puck-driving catalyst. He has the offensive IQ and passing ability to lead a power-play unit and is progressing enough defensively to take difficult matchups.
That said, Reid brings track record and upside questions. He has produced since he’s been in the OHL, but the résumé is short; he played 18 games of his 2024–25 season in the NAHL, which rarely produces high draft picks. And even if you’re buying the OHL production (I am), Reid may not have the pure physicality to dominate at the NHL level.
That said, the skills are all there to be a No. 1 defenseman if he keeps pushing his development trajectory. For a team like Seattle that needs an injection of electricity on the back end, he’d be a good pick if the Kraken are selecting at No. 6 and he makes it there.
Carson Carels | Left Defense | Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Carson Carels was right there with Reid as a junior producer from the blue line. His 1.26 points per game this season is the highest mark by a draft-eligible WHL defenseman since Scott Niedermayer in the 1990–91 season. The 6-foot-2 left-shot D-man also has the advantage of youth (born June 23, 2008) compared with the other prospects listed here.
When I’ve watched Carels, I’ve formed the impression of a very solid all-around player. He can defend with physicality, initiate the rush, and flash skill in the offensive zone. But I tend to view his upside as closer to a first-pair defenseman rather than a true “No. 1.”
Similar to Reid, I don’t see physically dominant tools or top-end upside. And since I’d put Carels’ offense slightly behind Reid’s, he’s likely to rank slightly behind Reid as a top-10 prospect for me. For Kraken fans, think Vince Dunn with the potential for better, more disciplined defense.
Caleb Malhotra | Center | Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
Setting aside Stenberg, Caleb Malhotra may have done more to help himself in his draft season than any other player. Coming into the season, Tynan Lawrence was viewed as the consensus top center, and Malhotra was a bit of an afterthought coming off a mid-range season in the BCHL. His play was trending up in the BCHL playoffs for Chilliwack, though, and he took a giant leap in his draft season playing with Jake O’Brien in the OHL for Brantford.
Malhotra flashes everything you could want from a center: defense, physicality, transition-driving possession ability, and passing and finishing skill in the offensive zone. Still, he has a limited CHL résumé. Will a team drafting in the top five trust a one-year evaluation over everything else? It’s a choice you’d rather make in the teens than that high. Still, the siren song of a center is strong.
Malhotra fits the profile of the player the Kraken have consistently targeted high in the draft. If the Kraken are picking somewhere between sixth and eighth and he’s still there, he’d be a natural fit.
Alberts Smits | Left Defense | Jukurit (Liiga)
Alberts Smits is the inverse of Carels and Reid. I’ve seen him dominate peer-level competition at the World Juniors for Latvia. He has high-level pro experience in both the top German and Finnish leagues, and he has the physicality to impose his will on a game at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. It’s easier to see a “No. 1 defenseman” outcome if everything clicks.
On the other hand, he does not have high-end offensive production, and I wonder if he will be afforded the opportunity to tap into it at this stage. He has already found so much success as a defense-oriented professional.
Generally, I’m not a fan of taking a defensive defenseman high in the draft because the overall impact on NHL team success is limited compared with a dynamic offensive presence. That said, Smits appeals for the Kraken because he could step in (whether immediately or after some time in the AHL) to fill a void on the left side and on the penalty kill with Jamie Oleksiak’s projected departure.
Keaton Verhoeff | Right Defense | Univ. of North Dakota (NCAA)
If there was a threat to McKenna’s status as the No. 1 overall pick coming into the season, many thought it would be Keaton Verhoeff. Verhoeff, a 6-foot-4 right-handed blueliner, played his draft season at the University of North Dakota after a very strong run both offensively and defensively for the Victoria Royals in the WHL.
Verhoeff’s offensive production flattened a bit in the second half of his draft season, and his skating and four-way mobility drew some criticism from scouts. This has dropped him down most boards, but I wonder if some of this is unwarranted—the result of seeing the inevitable struggle at a higher competition level before the draft rather than after.
Generally, I’m in favor of junior players pushing themselves like Verhoeff did, and it was not calamitous. He may be trending toward a solid pro career rather than being a perennial All-Star, but there are still abundant offensive and physical tools to be excited about. He’s a worthy upside swing toward the end of the top 10 in this draft.
Daxon Rudolph | Right Defense | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Daxon Rudolph often gets lost in the shuffle when discussing the top defense prospects in this class, but he shouldn’t be. Rudolph brings excellent offensive production for a 6-foot-2 righty. His 78 points are the most by a draft-eligible WHL defenseman since the 2001–02 season. (He played 10 more games than Carels.) His 28 goals are the second-most in that same timeframe, behind only Carter Yakemchuk in 2023–24.
I’d put him behind Reid as an offensive player and behind Carels in terms of overall impact, but he projects as a top-four, two-way defenseman.
Other names to know: Viggo Björk (F), Ryan Lin (D), Tynan Lawrence (F)
Björk is a center who borders on universally beloved by coaches, teammates, and scouts, but he’s 5-foot-9. Ryan Lin is another offense-first defenseman coming out of the WHL, but he too has size concerns at 5-foot-11. Lawrence has the makings of at least a solid middle-six center, but the offensive impact has not been there in his draft season.
* * *
Have NHL Draft-related questions? Get them to us in the comments below or on X @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on BlueSky @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.
Curtis Isacke
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.
In a year that was expected to be a major step forward for Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright, the 22-year-old took a noticeable step back, at least statistically.
Once touted as one of the next faces of hockey during his junior days in the Ontario Hockey League, Wright’s name came up throughout this season in trade rumors, while he’s seen reduced responsibilities and has been stuck in bottom-six roles.
Given it was his second full season, you could chalk it up to a sophomore slump. But there are underlying concerns with his contributions.
Correlation isn’t always causation, but with the Kraken missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, there is speculation that a change of scenery could happen as soon as this offseason.
So let’s take a look at Wright’s tenure in Seattle so far and consider whether Wright is a player the Kraken should keep.
Development and early returns
It was consensus for months that Wright would be the No. 1 pick to Montreal in the 2022 NHL Draft. He himself, in interviews, believed he “deserved to be taken first overall.”
But then, one thing led to another, and Montreal came to the podium and selected… Juraj Slafkovsky. Whoa.
No one could have guessed Wright would be available at all, let alone at No. 4. Seattle took him, and quickly had to come up with a plan for such a highly touted prospect.
Ineligible for the American Hockey League because of his age, Wright tried to quickly make the jump to the NHL but looked out of place initially and only got eight games in each of 2022-23 and 2023-24. And for as ceremonious as his entrance into the NHL was, his early career since has lacked the same luster.
The first few years in the organization were adventurous to say the least. In that 2022-23 season, he split time between the Kraken, a conditioning stint in Coachella Valley, Team Canada at the World Juniors, and eventually joined the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
In 2023–24, he joined the Firebirds full time, beginning to adjust to the pro level before brief call-ups to Seattle. By 2024–25, Wright became a regular in the Kraken lineup. His first full season is when he began to show glimpses of the player he could be.
With 19 goals and 25 assists in 78 games, he spent most of the season centering knowledgeable and consistent veterans. For the majority of the season, he was with Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had 16 goals in 61 games in 2024-25 before being traded, as well as Eeli Tolvanen who had 23 goals.
This past season, Wright’s totals dipped to 12 goals and 15 assists in 74 games. The team around him didn’t do him as many favors. Ranking 28th in team goals for, Wright spent a good chunk of the year on a youthful line with Berkly Catton and Kaapo Kakko, who each had their share of inconsistencies.
Wright’s utilization
Taking a closer look at Wright’s offensive production, he was more focused on attacking near the front of the net this season compared with 2024-25, when his production was more sprawled out in the zone and unpredictable.
While his shot production and offensive heat maps remained largely similar to his output in 2024-25, his shooting percentage dropped from 20.9 percent to 12.4 percent.
In 2024-25, he was a little more sporadic with his shot attempts. He had five goals from beyond the hash marks and spread his production throughout the offensive zone. To his credit, although he didn’t score as much, Wright was focused on getting to the high-danger areas of the ice this season.
The situations Wright was utilized in shifted. He was used 4.5 percent more in the offensive zone by the Kraken this year compared to 2024-25. He wasn’t relied upon as much in the defensive zone, taking 107, or 5.2 percent, fewer defensive-zone draws.
Despite the lessened role in defensive situations, Kraken head coach Lane Lambert still has hope for Wright and his future, whether it be for Seattle or elsewhere. He liked the improvements that he’s shown throughout the year as a 200-foot player, even if the offensive results haven’t been there.
Lane Lambert had some interesting things to say about Shane Wright. “Everybody's going to look at Shane Wright’s season and go, ‘Oh, gee, he had this many points, and he had that many points last year.’ Ask Shane if he felt like he's a better player now than he was at the… pic.twitter.com/j2zXYLEQ5X
But still, incremental improvement isn’t exactly what’s envisioned from a top-five talent. It’s becoming increasingly evident Wright doesn’t have the same draw like he once did.
During Jason Botterill’s postseason press conference, Wright was referred to only once, and that was in passing when talking about all of the young players on the team.
Trade value and comparable cases
It’s tough to gauge Wright’s value, given the uniqueness of his situation. Again, he’s still only 22 years old.
There’s the obvious worry that if Seattle were to trade him, he would land elsewhere and immediately find the offensive dynamic the Kraken had been hoping to unlock. Sometimes though, it’s just best for a player and an organization to go their separate ways. Are we at that point with Wright and the Kraken?
While the majority of the players drafted in the top five between 2011 and 2021 have stayed with their original teams, 36 percent of them were moved within the first five seasons.
One comparable situation is when the former Arizona Coyotes traded Dylan Strome. Like Wright, Strome was a former top-five pick who wasn’t living up to his lofty expectations right away, regardless of whether they were fair or not. Still, people were impatient with him.
The Coyotes dealt Strome to the Chicago Blackhawks after only 48 games in the NHL. Since being dealt, Strome has become a consistent player in the NHL for the Blackhawks and now the Washington Capitals. While the Coyotes—now the Utah Mammoth—would have loved if Strome panned out for them, they still received a valuable and consistent player in Nick Schmaltz, who has been a core player for the Arizona/Utah organization since.
It’s a difficult conversation to avoid. There are many factors to consider when moving on from a player as young as Wright. There’s lots of risk and lots of potential reward.
Do you think the Kraken should trade Wright? And if so, what could they potentially get in a return for him?
This is your Seattle Kraken prospects update. Usually, I’d say this is your “weekly” update, but we’re returning from a two-week hiatus resulting from conflicting personal and professional obligations (and some draft preparations). Thanks for hanging with me. We have a lot to catch up on.
In this week’s column, we’ll prepare you for the NHL Draft Lottery, get you caught up on the happenings in Coachella Valley, cover a championship for Clarke Caswell, and check in on Kraken prospects still alive in the CHL and SHL playoffs.
After that, we’ll have a final 2025–26 season data check-in and other news, notes, and video from around the Kraken system, as always.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll be bridging into offseason mode, which will include more video deep dives, but could also include answers to your questions. So, if you have a Seattle Kraken prospect–related question you’d like to see featured in a future column or mailbag, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.
Firebirds streak into the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs
As the AHL regular season came to a close, the Coachella Valley Firebirds were bolstered by a number of returning players. The Kraken reassigned Jani Nyman, Jacob Melanson, and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard from the NHL team back to the Firebirds. Logan Morrison, Jagger Firkus, Ty Nelson, and Kaden Hammell all returned from injury of various durations, and David Goyette was activated following his league suspension. While young defensemen Caden Price and Lukas Dragicevic remain out of the lineup with injuries, the team began the Calder Cup playoffs as close to “full strength” as we have seen in months.
At first, it did not look like it would be enough. In Game 1 of the Firebirds’ first-round series in Bakersfield on Thursday, Apr. 23, the Condors caved in the Firebirds’ defense and bested Nikke Kokko for six goals on the way to a 6–1 blowout result. Offensively, the Firebirds continued a season-long struggle on the power play, getting blanked in six opportunities. The production was disappointing against a Condors team that had been mediocre defensively.
The Firebirds’ fortunes turned when they returned to Palm Desert. In Game 2 on Saturday, Apr. 25, the Firebirds amassed a 3–1 lead through two periods and a 4–2 lead midway through the third. The Condors did tie the game, but Fisker Mølgaard potted the game-winner with 3:10 remaining, his second of the game. Kokko again backstopped the Firebirds’ 5–4 win.
— x – Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) April 26, 2026
Then, in Game 3 the next night, the Firebirds overcame a slow start (just five shots in the first period) to mount a four-goal, second-period onslaught that effectively put the series away. With an empty-net goal and two assists, Fisker Mølgaard led the team with three points, and Kokko turned in his stingiest game of the series, playing particularly well in the first period to keep the Firebirds in it.
This 6–2 win put the Firebirds through to the best-of-five second round, where the top team in the Pacific Division, the Ontario Reign, were waiting after a first-round bye.
On Wednesday, Apr. 29, the Firebirds stole Game 1 on the road from their I-10 rivals on the strength of a 3–0 shutout win for Kokko. J.R. Avon notched two goals, and Fisker Mølgaard added the other. The young Dane leads the AHL playoffs in both goals (four) and points (six). His effort is good enough to earn him a Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week distinction. (We’ll, somewhat arbitrarily, give another player this distinction too because we’re covering three weeks with this update.)
— x – Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) April 30, 2026
The Firebirds remain in Ontario for Game 2 on Friday, May 1, before returning home next week:
Fri. May 01, 2026 – 7:00PM PDT @ Ontario Tue. May 05, 2026 – 7:00PM PDT @ Coachella Valley Thu. May 07, 2026 – 7:00PM PDT @ Coachella Valley* Sat. May 09, 2026 – 6:00PM PDT @ Ontario* *If necessary
Kraken hold the sixth-best odds in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery
After a “disappointing” post-Olympic stretch, the Kraken finished this season with just 79 standings points, the sixth-lowest sum in the NHL. The final total was right in line with the 2024–25 season’s 76 points (amassed behind one-year coach Dan Bylsma) and the 2023–24 season’s 81 points (Dave Hakstol’s last season). Yet, the team held a playoff position well into March, which made the final outcome a calamitous letdown.
The silver lining from a franchise-building perspective is that the team now enters the May 5, 2026, NHL Draft Lottery in sixth position. This means the team has the sixth-best odds of moving up to the No. 1 overall pick—a 7.5 percent chance. Overall, the team has a 15.4 percent chance of moving up, a 34.1 percent chance of sticking at the No. 6 overall pick, and a 50.5 percent chance of moving down either one or two spots.
With tonight's loss, the #SeaKraken are locked into the sixth-best lottery odds in the 2026 NHL Draft.
For the second year in a row, the NHL will conduct the lottery live on air (as opposed to the old format, where the lottery was conducted shortly before the broadcast and sequestered). The Draft Lottery will be broadcast in the United States on ESPN, beginning at 4:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, May 5.
This draft is defined by two star wingers at the top, Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, followed by a host of strong defense prospects, including Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, and Alberts Smits. Brantford Bulldog Caleb Malhotra is emerging as the top center on the board, likely ahead of Viggo Bjork and Tynan Lawrence.
For more on how the NHL Draft Lottery works, the Kraken website has an explainer.
With respect to the draft more generally, Kraken fans should also be tracking the progress of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs. Seattle holds Tampa’s first-round pick, and NHL playoff teams are slotted with consideration given to their playoff performance. We will need to wait (at least) through the second round to know for certain where the pick will slot, but generally speaking, the earlier the Lightning lose, the better. The Lightning face elimination in Montreal on Friday, May 1.
Clarke Caswell wins a National Championship
During our last update, we noted that Kraken prospect Clarke Caswell helped propel the University of Denver to the National Championship Game. Denver and Caswell took full advantage, taking down the Wisconsin Badgers for Denver’s eleventh national title.
For his part, Caswell led all NCHC players with nine points in March and April, earning him Conference Rookie of the Month honors. It was a remarkable end to a successful freshman season for Caswell.
Clarke Caswell led @theNCHC with 9 points (4g/5a) in 8 GP in March/April.
Other Kraken prospects inch closer to titles of their own
Elsewhere, several Kraken prospects are continuing their march through the postseason.
Everett vs. Penticton (WHL)
Julius Miettinen and the Everett Silvertips are through to the WHL Championship after sweeping Ryden Evers and the Penticton Vees in the Western Conference Finals. Everett will take on the winner of the ongoing Medicine Hat and Prince Albert series in the East. Everett will host the first game of the WHL Championship beginning on Friday, May 8.
Miettinen has 10 goals and 8 assists across 13 playoff contests so far.
In the OHL, the Kraken have prospects alive in both remaining series. Jake O’Brien and the Bulldogs lead the Barrie Colts three games to two. O’Brien is tied for third in the OHL playoffs with 22 points (seven goals and 15 assists). O’Brien’s production earned him OHL Player of the Week honors and a share of the Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week distinction as well.
Sat. May 02, 2026 – 4:30PM PDT @ Barrie Mon. May 04, 2026 – 4:00PM PDT @ Brantford* *If necessary
The winner of the Brantford–Barrie series will meet the victor of the Kitchener Rangers and Windsor Spitfires series, which Kitchener leads three games to one. Kraken prospects Nathan Villeneuve and Jakub Fibigr play for Windsor. Fibigr is fourth among all OHL defensemen in the playoffs with 12 points (three goals and nine assists), while Villeneuve has contributed three goals, one assist, and his typical hard-nosed style.
Fri. May 01, 2026 – 4:00PM PDT @ Kitchener Mon. May 04, 2026 – 4:05PM PDT @ Windsor* Wed. May 06, 2026 – 4:00PM PDT @ Kitchener* *If necessary
Chicoutimi vs. Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
In the QMJHL, Alexis Bernier and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens are tied with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies two games apiece in the semifinals. Bernier has two goals in the series and four points overall in the playoffs.
Fri. May 01, 2026 – 4:00PM PDT @ Chicoutimi Sun. May 03, 2026 – 1:00PM PDT @ Rögle Tues. May 05, 2026 – 4:00PM PDT @ Chicoutimi* *If necessary
Skellefteå vs. Rögle (SHL)
Overseas, Zeb Forsfjäll and Skellefteå AIK are up three games to one on Rögle BK in the best-of-seven SHL Championship Series. Forsfjäll has played in all four games and is plus-one with an assist.
The remaining schedule of games is as follows:
Sat. May 02, 2026 – 6:15AM PDT @ Skellefteå Mon. May 04, 2026 – 10:00AM PDT @ Rögle* Wed. May 06, 2026 – 10:00AM PDT @ Skellefteå* *If necessary
[NOTE: All of the upcoming games this week listed in this section can be streamed at FloHockey.]
Final Regular-Season Data Update
Jake O’Brien finished third in total points (93) and first in points per game (1.75) in the OHL.
Kim Saarinen finished the season with the top save percentage in Liiga (.916). Semyon Vyazovoi finished tied for fourth in save percentage in the KHL (.931).
Notes on four other Kraken prospects
Tyson Jugnauth | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Since our last update, Tyson Jugnauth earned a place on the AHL All-Rookie Team, a just reward for his hard work in getting to this point. The blueliner recorded his first playoff point, an assist, on Wednesday in the Firebirds’ Game 1 win over the Reign. Elsewhere in the Jugnauth family, younger brother Brayden has a chance to be the top pick in the WHL Draft, which begins on Tuesday, May 5.
Blake Fiddler | D | Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
As we speculated previously, Blake Fiddler, the Kraken’s 2025 second-round pick, will reportedly be moving up to the NCAA ranks next season, committing to join David Carle and the defending champion University of Denver. It’s a sensible next step for Fiddler, who needs to improve his physicality and all-around game. Pioneers hockey will be must-see television for Kraken fans next season.
‼️🚨BREAKING🚨‼️
The Denver Pioneers have received a commitment from Blake Fiddler! 🪓🪓🪓
Following the elimination of Reynolds’ Newfoundland Regiment in the QMJHL playoffs, Reynolds has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Like other players before him, Reynolds joins the AHL club at the end of the season after his draft in order to learn and acclimate to the pro environment. It’s unlikely he will suit up for a game, but the hope is it’s a springboard for the player moving forward.
Kim Saarinen | G | HPK (Liiga)
In other news, goalie Saarinen was also added to the Firebirds’ roster. Like Reynolds, it’s unlikely Saarinen gets into a game over Kokko or Victor Ostman. Instead, the goal is to expose him to the staff and environment in Coachella Valley with their future working relationship in mind. At this point, I still think it’s likely Saarinen returns to Europe for at least one more season.
Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
4 wins: Jake O’Brien
3 wins: Jagger Firkus, Kim Saarinen, Julius Miettinen, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard
Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Simas Ignatavicius
Ignatavicius is a likely top-50 pick, checking in at No. 39 on the midseason Big Board and No. 10 among international skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting list. The six-foot-three Lithuanian-American forward played the bulk of this season in the top-level pro league in Switzerland, the National League. He had seven goals, six assists, and was a plus-seven in 52 games.
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.
When the Stanley Cup Playoffs got underway this past weekend, the Seattle Kraken could only watch from afar (if they were watching at all… Matty Beniers said on Friday that he doesn’t like to watch because it’s salt in the wound). That’s because the Kraken came up short of the postseason for the fourth time in their five-year franchise history and were left to once again reflect on what went wrong.
Seattle had its locker clean out day on Friday, where an assortment of players and head coach Lane Lambert addressed the media and gave their thoughts on a myriad of subjects. They consistently expressed disappointment with how things ended up, especially considering the Kraken were in the thick of the playoff hunt heading into the Olympic break before stumbling to an atrocious 7-17-2 record down the stretch and nosediving out of contention.
“I mean, we failed. That’s just the reality of it,” Adam Larsson said. “We missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that went wrong. We were going through spurts in the season where some things would go wrong, and the next day it could be fixed. But overall, I know we took some strides, but we ultimately missed the goal here.”
Lambert—who looked visibly frustrated at different points in games for several weeks down the stretch—did remind us that there were positives to take away from this season.
“It’s fresh, and obviously disappointment would be a word that I would use,” Lambert said. “But then I would also have to look at the season as a whole and go back to what we talked about right at the very beginning, about being in the mix and playing meaningful games, which we were and we did. I think that’s going to be extremely important for helping the growth and development of our younger guys, and getting that experience and being able to do that was very important for us.”
Lambert is right. We were all hoping for meaningful games down the stretch, and Seattle did provide that. Still, it was infuriating to watch the team crumble in the last two months.
What fueled the collapse?
There was a lot of theorizing about what actually led to Seattle falling apart, and although nobody was able to specifically diagnose what happened, captain Jordan Eberle had some interesting commentary.
“For me, it’s trusting,” Eberle said. “It’s trusting that your game, in tight situations, whether you’re playing aggressively and having support, and trusting that you’re a five-man unit playing together that’s going to get the job done. I mean, I think later on, especially the last 10 games, we were dinged up pretty good with goals and odd-man rushes and breakaways, and that trust factor blew up. And our gaps got worse, and we gave teams time and space, and they took advantage… When your team’s playing as a five-man unit, you trust that the next guy is doing his job in front of you.”
It was a sound theory, but it also ties in with the mental flimsiness of the team, which in turn ties in with the culture of the locker room—all factors that I believe led to the losing.
Lambert agreed to some degree with Eberle’s interpretation of the poor late-season results, but added, “I thought our team was a little fragile at times. We run on confidence, as do most teams. But this team here really runs high on confidence, and when we lack it, struggles happen.”
And boy, did those struggles ever happen. Remember, it wasn’t just the late-season meltdown that hurt this team. The Kraken also had to overcome a stretch during the holiday season in which they lost 10 of 11 games before remarkably rebounding and ripping off points in 10 straight.
That’s nothing new for this team, though, which has found itself in long losing streaks in all of the years that it has missed the playoffs.
“I can’t speak of the past before I got here, but I think one of the, really, I guess, most proud moments I have of the season and with our guys is us digging ourselves out of that hole, so to speak, in December, and getting ourselves right back in the mix,” Lambert said. “There is such a fine line between winning and losing, and if you don’t find that line, and the little, simplest of mistakes happen, they can continue to manifest or multiply.”
Will Bobby McMann return?
While trade deadline acquisition Bobby McMann—who racked up an impressive 10 goals in just 18 games for the Kraken and 29 total goals on the season—had great things to say about his time in Seattle and left the door open to conversations and a potential return for next season and beyond, I remain unconvinced he’ll come back.
“I think the biggest thing is winning,” McMann said. “I want to be in a spot that there’s a chance to win, or at least have a competitive approach to every season to be a team that can can be in the mix and in the conversation of being in the playoff picture.”
That feels like a big strike against Seattle; McMann, who will be one of the top free agents available in a very thin class, didn’t exactly get to see the best of what the Kraken can do on the ice, instead experiencing a fall into complete disarray after his arrival.
McMann continued. “But then it’s also [about having] a chance to go for it all. And then on top of that, I want opportunity, and I think most players do. You want to be a contributing factor, and I think for me, the best feeling, and what I love most about the game is when you win and you help contribute. And I think that there’s maybe a chance for opportunity here that I could see, and I was lucky enough to get that coming in here.”
So, you’re telling me there’s a chance…
The Kraken do have that working for them. They showed McMann he would be put in a position to succeed personally in Seattle, and he did just that while playing top-line minutes under a familiar coach in Lane Lambert.
Is that opportunity enough to sway McMann into returning to the Pacific Northwest? Probably not, but perhaps a big bag of money can also help the cause. Remember, McMann has only recently cemented himself as a full-time NHLer and is coming off a two-year contract that paid him $1.35 million AAV. At 29 years old, this is likely his only chance to properly cash in.
“Looking back five, 10, 15 years ago, and thinking about telling myself at that time that this is where I’d be at, I don’t know if I really would have expected it,” McMann said about his journey to his first true unrestricted free agency opportunity. “I think I always kind of had the dream of it happening, but you never really know, especially when you’re so far away and a few leagues removed, or you’re not even playing pro yet.
“And you’re putting in hours and hours of work, not really sure if it’s going to pay dividends, or if you’re really going to get there, and if it will all be for nothing. But being at this point now and being able to enjoy that success, it’s a special feeling, and it’s very rewarding to feel like the work that I put in over basically my whole life to get to this point has been— It’s been a fun journey. I also enjoy it, and I think that’s part of the reason that it’s gotten to this point.”
Eye brow raisers
There were a couple of moments on Friday that raised eyebrows in the room. One was when Jared McCann came limping up to the podium and announced that he had undergone a procedure in Utah the day prior. He said that the injuries he was dealing with all season were related to the procedure he had following last season, but he expects to make a full recovery and be fully ready to go for training camp. He was never fully right this season, so here’s hoping this truly clears things up for him as he heads into the final year of his contract.
But McCann really got people to exchange glances when he seemed to imply that a big reason for Seattle’s late-season downfall was because of the young players in the room.
“When you lose year after year, things change, right?” McCann said. “For me, [former general manager and president of hockey ops Ron Francis] has been here since the beginning, he’s the guy who signed me to my first extension, and I think the younger guys can take it more seriously when it comes to— things change if you don’t win.”
An appropriate follow-up question to this would have been, “Uh… what?” But I unfortunately missed that opportunity.
He also had a line about how when things weren’t going well. “Maybe we need to start screaming at guys. And I know that’s not always the answer, especially with the younger generation coming in now. But yeah, maybe it’s something to learn from.”
I’m not certain McCann meant to explicitly blame the young players on the roster for the team’s failures, especially considering that the struggles should absolutely fall squarely on the shoulders of the veteran leaders. But still, two negative-sounding mentions of the youth were perplexing.
Meanwhile, Philipp Grubauer once again took a couple of pot shots at… [checks notes]… 2024-25 head coach Dan Bylsma, reminding us again that he felt his terrible season last year was mostly related to the lack of structure from the team and consistent playing time for him.
When I asked Grubauer if he made any technical changes, which may have led to his remarkable turnaround this season, he said, “I think [I was] maybe not as aggressive anymore because last year, I don’t know what system we played, if there even was a system, right? So this year, with Lane coming in, and our identity is playing defensive, and defense wins you games, too. So we were eliminating a lot of plays. Maybe we didn’t do it as much the last part of the season, but when you look up until the break, there aren’t many crazy chances. And honestly, I think last year there was a breakaway like each period, right?”
It’s fair to say Grubauer did not enjoy his time playing for Bylsma last season.
Palate cleansers
Remember how Nikke Kokko took a shot at the empty net in his first NHL start, in which the Kraken defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1? Well, after that game, he told Piper Shaw in an interview in front of all of Climate Pledge Arena that he wanted to score “before Joey [Daccord]” gets one.
I asked Joey on Friday what he thought about that.
“Yeah, that was crazy,” Daccord said, getting a big laugh from the room. “That was nuts. I told him, I was like, ‘Dude, if you would have scored, I would have been so rattled.’ But I was pumped for him. I was pumped to see him get his first start and win.”
On a separate note, it was an honor to present Brandon Montour with the second annual Andy Eide Memorial Stick Taps Award, selected by the local media as the player who was best to work with throughout the season.
Brandon Montour is the 2025-26 recipient of the Andy Eide Memorial Stick Taps Award, presented by the local #SeaKraken media to the player we deemed was best to work with this season. pic.twitter.com/ogR71YynrN
Montour truly has been great to work with over the past two seasons. He’s the only guy that consistently goes out of his way to greet media members, and his willingness to talk about anything and everything—including the unthinkable tragedy he endured this year with the passing of his brother Cameron after a battle with ALS and the joy of his third child being born (‘Baby Cam,’ as they’re calling him for now)—is so admirable.
Congrats to Brandon, and stick taps to Andy.
Kraken general manager Jason Botterill will give his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, alongside CEO Tod Leiweke, so we will likely have additional commentary to share after that. Plus, stay tuned to soundofhockey.com this week, as we continue to dissect this roller coaster of a season.
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.
