Three takeaways – Kraken move into first place in Pacific Division with win over Blackhawks
The Seattle Kraken defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Monday night. The win pushed Seattle into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division with 16 points.
It was Andre Burakovsky’s first trip back to Seattle since being traded to Chicago during the offseason. The move has worked out well for Burakovsky so far—he scored the Blackhawks’ lone goal and now has 10 points this season (five goals, five assists).
But even with Burakovsky’s goal that temporarily closed the gap to 2-1, Jamie Oleksiak opened the scoring in the second period, and the Kraken really never looked back.
Matty Beniers scored on the power play, and captain Jordan Eberle added an insurance goal to put the game out of reach. Beniers and Eberle assisted on each other’s goals, giving both two-point nights. Eberle now leads Seattle with five goals, while Eeli Tolvanen picked up an assist to extend his point streak to three games. Tolvanen has four assists through the first 12 games but has yet to find the back of the net.
Here are Three Takeaways from a 3-1 Kraken win over the Blackhawks.
Takeaway #1 – Offense!
After a lackluster offensive effort against the Rangers on Saturday, when Seattle recorded a franchise-worst 13 shots on goal, the message was clear: get pucks on net. Head coach Lane Lambert shuffled his lines before facing Chicago.
Tolvanen moved up alongside Beniers and Eberle. Kaapo Kakko joined Chandler Stephenson and Jaden Schwartz. Jani Nyman, scratched against the Rangers, rejoined the lineup with Shane Wright and Mason Marchment. Berkly Catton centered the fourth line between Tye Kartye and Ryan Winterton.
Based on the morning skate, it didn’t appear Catton would play, but the coaching staff opted to give him a look at center. The fourth line stood out with its energy, though Catton logged a team-low 7:07 of ice time.
Seattle started with urgency, firing eight shots in the first eight minutes. They slowed down after that and finished with 24 total shots. Still, it was encouraging to see the coaching staff identify a problem from the previous game and make changes that delivered results.
As John Barr noted in Monday Musings, the Kraken are averaging 23.9 shots per game—right on par with this performance, though there’s still room for improvement. Interestingly, Seattle had just five shots in the second period but scored twice.
Takeaway #2 – Special teams
Seattle excelled on both sides of special teams in this game. The Kraken successfully killed all three penalties, maintaining their strong defensive effort. Seattle has now gone two straight games without allowing a power-play goal. Chicago generated some chances, but the Kraken stayed active with their sticks, blocked shots, and leaned on a steady Joey Daccord in net.
In John Barr’s new 10 for 10 series, he noted Seattle’s penalty kill sat at 64 percent through 10 games. After two perfect games, that number is up to 71 percent—still not great, but trending in the right direction.
It only took eight seconds for the Kraken to convert on their first power-play attempt, and they were 1-for-2 on the night.
This goal was fun to watch. All five skaters touched the puck before Beniers buried it. Stephenson tied up his man on the draw, Beniers supported and moved it to Vince Dunn, who slid it over to Tolvanen for the shot. Eberle corralled the rebound and appeared to drift behind the net before sending a perfect backhand pass to Beniers in the slot, who fired it home. A thing of beauty.
After the game, Beniers said of Eberle’s pass: “You know, it’s funny, I knew it was coming. No doubt in my mind. That’s just the type of player [Eberle] is.”
Takeaway #3 – Joey! Joey! Joey!
It was a bit unexpected that Daccord wasn’t among the three stars of the night. He posted a .967 save percentage and allowed just one goal, saving 2.52 goals above expected per MoneyPuck. Connor Bedard led the rush on Chicago’s lone tally, getting around Adam Larsson to the puck along the boards and feeding Burakovsky for a quick five-hole finish.
What made Daccord’s outing so impressive was his calm positioning. He didn’t need to make any highlight-reel saves because he was square to the puck all night. When a goalie doesn’t need to scramble, it usually means he’s in full control.
With Chicago’s net empty, Daccord twice attempted a goalie goal to the delight of the Climate Pledge Arena crowd. His first shot had a real chance but was stopped by defenseman Artyom Levshunov. Fans erupted into a “Joey! Joey! Joey!” chant, encouraging him to try again. His second attempt missed the mark, but the crowd loved every moment. Seattle fans will have to wait a little longer for the elusive goalie goal.
Strong response
This was a strong response to Saturday’s low-shot game. Chicago started backup goaltender Arvid Soderblom, so this was a matchup the Kraken should win—and they did. Next up, Seattle faces the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 5 to close out the homestand.
Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Blackhawks – Nov 3rd
Monday Musings: Is there reason for concern?
The Seattle Kraken managed two out of four possible points in a light week on the schedule. If you had told me that the Seattle Kraken would come away with two points from games against the red-hot Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers, I would have been happy. Still, something about these two games left me a little concerned.
Generating offense
We knew this team would look different this season, with a greater focus on structure and a more defensive mindset. Naturally, that means some offensive output would have to take a hit. Gone are the risky offensive-zone pinches or dicey forechecks that might lead to an odd-man advantage the other way.
So far, it’s working. This Kraken team continues to enjoy the best start in franchise history, and as of Monday morning, they’re sitting in a Wild Card spot with a 5-2-4 record.
That said, they’ve struggled to generate much offense. Seattle is averaging 2.73 goals per game, down 0.26 from last season, which ranks 24th in the NHL. It’s hard to call that an “issue,” given their record, but it’s at least an area for improvement.
A big driver behind the lower scoring rate appears to be a lack of shot volume. The Kraken are averaging the fewest shots on goal per game in team history and currently sit dead last in the league in that category.
In a vacuum, that trend is concerning, but given their record, it may just be the cost of winning with this system. It’s also worth noting that Jared McCann has now missed six straight games, and his return could certainly help spark the offense.
Other musings
- One thing I worried about early this season was whether this team could come back from multi-goal deficits with such a defense-first approach. While it didn’t end in victory, the Kraken erased a three-goal deficit in the third period against Montreal, proof that they can still come back. I was pleasantly surprised.
- Saturday’s 13 shots on goal against the Rangers marked the lowest total in a game in franchise history.
- The Rangers’ top line of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and J.T. Miller dominated on Saturday. They didn’t get on the scoresheet, but they combined for 11 of New York’s 25 shots in regulation and seemed to play all their shifts in the offensive zone.
- One area that still needs work for Seattle is the penalty kill. The good news: the Kraken killed all three of their penalties on Saturday. The bad news: they gave up a season-high nine shots against while doing it.
- Saturday also marked the sixth overtime game of the season. The Kraken only had 13 all of last year. They’re now 2-0-4 in games that reach overtime.
- The San Jose Sharks have also played six overtime games this season, and they will visit Seattle on Wednesday.
- It was great to see Kaapo Kakko back in the lineup on Saturday, though it’ll take some time for him to look like the Kakko we saw late last season. He played most of the game alongside Shane Wright and Mason Marchment, but about halfway through the third, he ended up playing a few shifts with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle.
- One thing that could help Seattle’s scoring woes: getting Eeli Tolvanen going. He has yet to score this season. At this same point last year, he had four goals.
- Joey Daccord started his ninth game of the season. I’ve been a little concerned about him being overworked, but there are actually 14 goalies league-wide with nine or more starts, and the schedule has allowed him time to recuperate between games, so maybe I shouldn’t worry (yet).
- Berkly Catton had just two shifts and 1:17 of ice time in the third period on Saturday. I think he’s shown he can play in the NHL, but once the roster is fully healthy, I’m not sure he gives them the best chance to win every night.
- In case you missed it, Kraken prospect Jake O’Brien was named the OHL Player of the Month for October after posting seven goals and 19 assists in 12 games for the Brantford Bulldogs. He’s already added six more points in two games to start November.
Jake O’Brien was unstoppable this weekend!
The @SeattleKraken prospect tallied 8 points this weekend, earning him the @cogeco #OHLPOTW honours.
DETAILS 🗞️: https://t.co/4A1oSkD2Y3@BulldogsOHL | @Flohockey pic.twitter.com/KiFDfNIRrA
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) October 13, 2025
Goal of the week
Nice goal by former Kraken Andre Burakovsky
ANDRE BURAKOVSKY GOES THROUGH HIS LEGS *AND* THE DEFENDER’S FOR THIS GOAL 🤯🚨
WHAT. A. GOAL. pic.twitter.com/fLdUOjWY49
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 31, 2025
Player performances
Brandon Montour (SEA) – Monty had three goals and one assist in two games this week. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the Kraken might have come away empty-handed without him.
Julius Miettinen (EVT/SEA) – The big Finnish prospect is off to a strong start with the Everett Silvertips, posting two goals and three assists over the weekend.
Connor Bedard (CHI) – The 2023 first-overall pick had three goals and four assists in his last three games. He enters Monday’s matchup against Seattle riding a four-game point streak.
The week ahead
The Kraken play four games this week, Monday vs. Chicago, Wednesday vs. San Jose, then a dreaded back-to-back road set on Saturday and Sunday against St. Louis and Dallas, respectively.
The Blackhawks and Sharks won’t be easy matchups; both have been playing well lately. Chicago (5-4-3) has been hovering around the wild card bubble, and Monday marks Burakovsky’s first game back in Seattle since being traded to the Blackhawks this summer. Burky is off to his best start since his first season with the Kraken in 2022–23.
I’m especially curious to see how Seattle matches up against San Jose. The Sharks are full of young talent but have struggled defensively, allowing four goals per game, second most in the NHL. Can the Kraken take advantage of that?
It’s still a bit early to throw around “must-win” talk, but this week presents a real opportunity to bank some points. Five out of eight would be solid; six would be outstanding.
And finally…
It’s still early, but the Kraken are above .500 and in a wild card position, and that’s something to be happy about. That said, I’d be lying if I said the lack of offensive production over the last two games doesn’t concern me a little. Based on this week’s matchups, we should get a much clearer picture of whether that concern is warranted.
Are you worried about the offense, or do you think this is just how winning hockey looks with the current roster under Lambert?
Three Takeaways – Kraken earn another point but struggle to generate offense in OT loss to Rangers
The Seattle Kraken lost to the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime on Saturday, their second straight overtime loss. The game had a different flow from Tuesday’s 4-3 OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens, but the story felt familiar: Seattle again struggled to create much offense, instead sitting back for most of the game and relying heavily on defensive-zone structure and Joey Daccord to earn a point.
Chandler Stephenson scored on the power play, and Brandon Montour’s second-period missile tied the game 2-2, but that was all the offense Seattle could muster. Will Cuylle’s game-winner off a 2-on-1 gave the Rangers the rightful win.
BRANDON BOMBTOUR! 💣🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 2, 2025
After some good zone time, Schwartz finds Montour coming off the bench. He fires a howitzer over Shesterkin's glove for his third goal in two games.
2-2 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/ovLO6HTDoK
Here are Three Takeaways from a 3-2 Kraken overtime loss to the Rangers.
Takeaway #1: Kraken not generating enough
One of the things many things I’ve admired about Lane Lambert’s approach to coaching the Kraken is his postgame honesty. He tends to identify the problem clearly and directly—soft-spoken but precise in his assessment.
After Saturday’s game, in which the Kraken spent most of the night trapped in their own zone and managed only 13 shots on Igor Shesterkin—the fewest in franchise history—I asked Lambert if he was comfortable with how much time his team has spent defending.
Here’s what he said:
“Well, I think the answer’s obvious. We don’t want to spend this much time in our zone. We’re battling when we do, but again, the first period was a classic example of what I’ve been talking about all year long. We’re misfiring on passes, we’re not— at times, I’m not saying all the time. Our guys are working, and they’re giving it everything they have from that standpoint, but we’ve got to find a way out of our zone better and have more composure and more poise. It’s the bottom line. We turn the puck over, and we spend another 30 or 40 seconds in our zone. So, we wonder why, that’s why.”
Good insight from Lane Lambert on the #SeaKraken’s struggles at breaking the puck out of their zone. pic.twitter.com/PI1T0Zmhhh
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 2, 2025
It was a perfect summation of what we were all seeing, especially in those first 20 minutes when Seattle simply couldn’t get out of its own end. The Kraken defend well when the other team has the puck, but when they finally regain possession, too often they throw a bad pass or bobble the puck, allowing the forecheck to reset and keeping Seattle on its heels.
Problem No. 1: The Kraken aren’t exiting their zone cleanly enough to even put themselves in position to attack.
Problem No. 2—especially on Saturday—is that when they do get set up in the offensive zone, they’re not pulling the trigger. Case in point: In the final 30 seconds of regulation, Seattle had the Rangers pinned. They passed around the perimeter so long it felt like a buzzer-beating winner was inevitable. But with the puck on Montour’s stick at the top of the slot, the horn sounded before a shot was even sent in Shesterkin’s general direction.
“It’s fair to say [we didn’t have a shoot-first mentality],” Lambert said. “I think we passed up too many shots when we did have good opportunities… At the same time, they defend well, they’re in lanes. So it’s easy to say, ‘Shoot the puck,’ but if people are in the lanes, it’s a little bit harder to do. It’s not going to get through. But at the same time, I thought we passed up shots, and we had opportunities to shoot pucks from even bad angles and create a second opportunity, and we didn’t.”
Takeaway #2: Kaapo Kakko returns
It was good to see Kaapo Kakko back in the lineup Saturday, facing his former team for the first time since being traded to Seattle by the Rangers on Dec. 18, 2024. The Finnish winger, who broke his hand on a slash during preseason, played 14:16 in his season debut.
“Always the first game is kind of hard. I mean, I’ve been working out well and skating and doing all those things,” Kakko said. “I think, some good things, but I can be a lot better.”
He skated on a line with Mason Marchment and Shane Wright, which didn’t look all that effective. Lambert began mixing things up in the third period, so we’ll see if that combination sticks moving forward. The three played 8:13 together, though Kakko also logged 2:34 with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. Meanwhile, Berkly Catton’s ice time dipped to 11:36 after playing over 16 minutes Tuesday against Montreal.
“That was my first time playing with both [Wright and Marchment],” Kakko said. “I usually played with Matty last year, so I think it takes, always, some time when you start to play with new guys. But there’s a couple of good things. I think we got one pretty good chance, but yeah, that can be better, also.”
After Kakko arrived last season, he was attached at the hip to Beniers, so it was surprising to see them separated for this game. I’m curious how long it will take before Lambert puts them back together.
“I thought he played well,” Lambert said of Kakko. “Big, strong body. You could see what he is going to add to our team down low in the offensive zone.”
I had high hopes Kakko’s return would provide an instant offensive spark, but that didn’t happen in his first game back. Still, it’s a big boost for Seattle to have him healthy and in the mix again, and continuing to move toward having more of their regular players back.
Takeaway #3: Another standings point
It’s early to start obsessing over the standings (although Blaiz’s story on Saturday noted that Halloween can be an early playoff indicator), but the Pacific Division already looks like a grind. From the first-place Vegas Golden Knights to the sixth-place Vancouver Canucks, there’s currently only a three-point gap.
That means every point matters—even the ones Seattle is “stealing” from games it probably should have lost in regulation. Saturday’s OT point against the Rangers fits that description, as does Tuesday’s comeback against Montreal.
While it’s fair to be frustrated by the lack of offensive zone time, it’s also impressive that the Kraken continue to find ways to collect points. 11 games into the season, they’ve lost just twice in regulation and remain unbeaten in regulation at home.
They’re showing exactly what Lambert promised back in training camp: that if they stick to their defensive structure, they’ll be competitive every night. Even on a night when they didn’t generate nearly enough offensively, they still found a way to come away with something.
Now, if they can just figure out how to play some offense…
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.
10 for 10: 10 data points in the Kraken’s first 10 games
Introducing a new recurring feature here at Sound Of Hockey called 10 for 10. Every 10 games, we’ll take a step back and look at 10 different stats that tell the story of where the Seattle Kraken are trending.
Some numbers will be straightforward, things like goals, shot attempts, or save percentage, while others might be a little more offbeat or meant to challenge assumptions about the team. Each stat will include a visual and a short breakdown to help make sense (or nonsense) of what’s happening with the Kraken over the last 10 games.
Data Point 1: Pace
It’s been well reported, and often mentioned on broadcasts, that the Kraken are off to their best start in franchise history. Here’s how that path looks compared to other seasons:
As Blaiz pointed out earlier this week, November shapes up as a much softer stretch from a strength-of-schedule perspective, but the 2022–23 team earned 17 out of a possible 20 points in games 11–20. Keeping pace with that group could still be a challenge.
Data Point 2: Rebound goals
I first started thinking about “rebound goals” when I read an article about the Kraken head coach’s vision for the team. It got me thinking more about those gritty, inside-area chances Seattle has been trying to create. For this analysis, I defined a rebound goal as a goal scored within three seconds of another shot on goal.
The chart above shows all situations; two of the Kraken’s rebound goals came on the power play. Worth noting, Seattle has only allowed two rebound goals against, which is tied for the third fewest in the league.
Data Point 3: Shot attempts against off the faceoff
We’ve established that the faceoff stats tracked and published by the league aren’t all that useful, but one thing we can tease out is the number of shot attempts for and against following a draw. That gives us a decent proxy for possession after a faceoff.
I started to worry about this when the Kraken allowed three goals immediately after faceoffs during their road trip. If you want to see the goals, here are some examples:
- Cole Caufield (OT vs. Montreal)
- John Tavares (3rd period, also a rebound goal)
- Jakob Chychrun (2nd period vs. Washington)
Those turned out to be the only faceoff goals allowed by the Kraken this season, but could it be a symptom of a bigger issue? Let’s look at the data.
It doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue as I might have thought. The Kraken are definitely allowing more shot attempts after a faceoff than most other teams in the league but not as many shots are getting through to the goalie. And like I mentioned above, only a few made it in the net.
Data Point 4: Penalty kill success rate and volume
One area that’s gotten plenty of attention is Seattle’s penalty kill. From a percentage standpoint, the Kraken rank 29th in the NHL with a 64 percent success rate. The positive spin? They haven’t been shorthanded often, allowing nine power-play goals—tied for 18th in the league.
Regardless of how you frame it, though, 64 percent is brutally low. If the Kraken continue to play tight games, even a modest improvement toward league average could be the difference in picking up a few extra points in the standings.
It’s also interesting that the PK is among the best in the NHL at limiting high-danger opportunities during the PK, despite the team’s struggles at preventing goals. Lambert spoke about this on Saturday morning.
Data Point 5: Scoring first
Seattle has earned points in all but one game when not scoring first (Philadelphia). Seattle has scored first in seven of its first 10 games, winning five of those. On a league-wide basis, 90 percent of the time, teams that score first get at least a point and 66 percent of the time they win. For further context, last season’s team scored first in just 42.7 percent of its games (35 total).
On the other hand, Seattle has earned at least a point in every game when giving up the first goal (Philadelphia).
Data Point 6: Average goals against
This has been the story of Seattle’s early-season success. The Kraken have tightened up defensively, which gives them a chance to win every night. Last season, they allowed 3.2 goals per game compared to just 2.8 through the first 10 games this year.
On the flip side, Kraken goal scoring is down a bit, but getting Kaapo Kakko and (hopefully) Jared McCann back should help boost that.
Data Point 7: Goal differential (excluding empty-net goals)
One data point I probably over-index to when evaluating teams is their goal differential excluding empty-net goals. My target for the Kraken to remain competitive and in the playoff hunt is around even to plus-five.
Right now, they sit at minus-one, which isn’t great on paper but isn’t alarming either. With the exception of the season opener against Anaheim, all of Seattle’s wins have come by a single non-empty-net goal, which explains why their differential trails their solid 5-2-3 record.
Last season’s Kraken were plus-five after 10 games (5-4-1). Considering this year’s injury issues, I’ll take that minus-one in stride.
Data Point 8: Games lost to injury or absence
It would be irresponsible to talk about the first 10 games without mentioning the injury bug that’s bitten this team since preseason. It started when Kaapo Kakko broke his hand on a slash in an exhibition game, and it’s snowballed from there.
The good news: Ryker Evans and Kakko both appear close to returning, and Freddy Gaudreau is back skating.
Data Point 9: Berkly Catton’s ice time
One silver lining of all those injuries has been the opportunity for Berkly Catton to get NHL reps. His first two games coincided with Seattle’s roughest stretch of the season, but that also meant more ice time for him in situations where the Kraken were chasing offense rather than protecting leads.
Catton is just four games away from burning the first year of his entry-level contract, so it’ll be interesting to see how the team handles him over the next few weeks. He’s clearly shown flashes of NHL skill, but he still makes the occasional high-risk mistake. With margins of victory this thin, every decision on his usage matters.
Data Point 10: Goalie starts
I was hoping these 10 games would clarify how the Kraken plan to manage their three-goalie situation, but honestly, it’s still hard to tell. For now, it looks like they’re just riding Joey Daccord except in back-to-back situations.
Wrapping it up
This series is a bit of an experiment, so I’d love to hear your feedback. Which metrics helped you understand the Kraken better, and which ones left you wanting more? I’ll adjust and evolve 10 for 10 as we go, so tell me what should make the cut for Games 11–20.
Are Halloween standings an indicator of playoff contention?
Most of my podcast listening time comes while walking my two dogs, George and Eddie. A few weeks ago, when the Kraken were 2-0, I found myself listening to a 32 Thoughts episode from Oct. 13 about not overreacting to two games. I don’t remember much from the podcast, but Elliotte Friedman made a statement that made me look at George and Eddie with a quizzical look and think, “Is that true?”
Friedman said that by Nov. 1, teams that are four or more points out of the playoffs only make the postseason 14 percent of the time. I spot-checked this over the last eight full seasons, and while the percentage was slightly higher at 20 percent, the general idea holds true.
Historically, I’ve always used Thanksgiving as a decent checkpoint for playoff projections. Roughly 75 percent of teams in playoff position at that time end up making it. For this analysis, I looked at the last eight full seasons (2015–2024), skipping the two pandemic-shortened ones (2019–20 and 2020–21).
Instead of focusing on teams that missed, I analyzed how clubs in playoff position fared using Halloween, not Thanksgiving, as the checkpoint. To go a layer deeper, I broke down standings by position—first, second, or third in the division, and the first or second wild card slots.
Thanksgiving
The tricky thing about Thanksgiving is its variability. It falls on the fourth Thursday of November, meaning it can land anywhere between Nov. 22 and Nov. 28. That variability means teams have played anywhere from 18 to 25 games by then, though most have around 20.
Across the eight seasons studied, 76.6 percent of teams in playoff position at Thanksgiving made the postseason. Here’s how that breaks down by standings position:
The first chart may be a bit dense at first glance. It shows, from left to right, how often teams in each divisional or wild card position at Thanksgiving went on to make the playoffs. The final bar in each cluster represents the overall average for that season.
To make it easier to digest, the second chart below simplifies things by showing the average playoff rates for each standings position across all eight seasons:
As expected, standings position matters. Teams in the top two division spots make the playoffs far more often than those in third or wild card positions. In fact, teams in the top two averaged an 89.1 percent playoff rate, 25 percent higher than teams in third or wild card slots. Wild card and third-place teams landed in the 60th percentile, giving them better than even odds to make the postseason.
Halloween
By Halloween, most teams have played between eight and 13 games, with only minor differences in games played. I wanted to see if this much earlier checkpoint could still serve as a gauge for postseason likelihood. My assumption was that it would be too early to draw meaningful conclusion—but the data suggests otherwise.
Teams sitting first, second, or third in their division on Halloween made the playoffs more often than not. Overall, the success rate dropped by just over 10 percent to 66.4 percent, compared with Thanksgiving’s 76.6 percent.
However, the wild card positions were far less stable. Teams in those spots made the postseason less than half the time. What surprised me most was that first- and second-place teams at Halloween made the playoffs 82.8 percent of the time—an impressive number given that only about 10 games have been played.
The takeaway: division leaders at Halloween already have a strong foothold, while wild card teams face much shakier odds. Thanksgiving remains a more reliable indicator, especially for teams hovering around the bubble.
Where the Kraken sit
Seattle wrapped up their October games on Oct. 28, sitting second in the Pacific Division. As other teams played later in the month, Seattle slipped into the final wild card spot. A late rally by Los Angeles on Oct. 30, sparked by two goals from Corey Perry with the goalie pulled, earned the Kings a point and moved the Kraken down in the standings.
On Halloween night, the Anaheim Ducks beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-2, bumping Seattle down another spot into the second wild card position.
Still, it’s a solid place to be, especially since the Kraken hold games in hand. Anaheim and Seattle have played only 10 games so far, while the rest of the Western Conference has played 11 or 12. When Seattle made the playoffs in its second season, it also held the second wild card spot on Halloween.
The Kraken have experience fighting from this position and will need to stay sharp heading into November, when the strength of their schedule softens a bit.
Based on Halloween data, the Kraken have a 66.4 percent chance to hang on to a playoff spot. They’ll look to improve those odds by Thanksgiving as they continue their homestand against the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks.
As requested in the comments adding a picture of Eddie and George.
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.
Down on the Farm – College hockey seasons under way for Kraken prospects
“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week we’ll set the table for the Seattle Kraken prospects playing NCAA hockey this season, update on injuries and standout performances, and pass along other notes from around the Kraken system.
As always, if you have a 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. Let’s dive in.
Several Kraken prospects assume key roles for their NCAA teams
Though they play here in North America, Kraken prospects playing NCAA hockey often fly under the radar. Several factors contribute to this. Most notably, fans and media based in the Pacific Northwest simply don’t see these players play as much. College players aren’t available to participate in Kraken rookie camp (or training camp) due to their college commitments. And once college games begin, it is often difficult or impractical to watch them because the various NCAA conferences have their own broadcast agreements or streaming packages.
At the same time, the college path from the draft to the NHL (or AHL) is a much slower one. Players often stay at school for three or four years before team and player are forced to make a call on the player’s professional future. This is a longer time horizon than applies to CHL prospects, for example, and it tends to push these players down the list of priorities.
That said, thanks in part to an NCAA rule change rendering CHL players eligible for college hockey, the Kraken have more prospects than ever playing in the NCAA ranks. Let’s check in on these players and where things stand for them.
Clarke Caswell | F | Freshman | Univ. of Denver (NCAA)
Forward Clarke Caswell, 19, played the last three seasons for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. After the Kraken selected Caswell in the fifth round of the 2024 draft, he was a leader for Swift Current on the ice (1.29 points per game) and off (as the team’s captain).
Still too young to play professionally in the AHL and with little left to prove in junior hockey, the NCAA option appealed to the young center. “When Denver showed their interest, it helped me make the decision,” Caswell told Bob Condor of SeattleKraken.com.
It would have been reasonable to expect a decreased role or move to the wing for Caswell following this college hockey move, but he earned a key position immediately. Caswell has skated as a top-of-the-lineup center and top power-play forward. Every game he ranks among the top Denver forwards in ice time. And the production has followed: With six points in six games, Caswell trails only Hagen Burrows (Lightning draft pick) and Eric Pohlkamp (Sharks draft pick) for the Pioneers.
Ollie Josephson | F | Freshman | Univ. of North Dakota (NCAA)
Similar to Caswell, forward Ollie Josephson was the captain of his WHL team last season and a key all-situations contributor. Josephson, 19, was not the prolific scorer Caswell was, though. He profiles as more of a defend-and-counterattack playmaker. He’s slightly smaller in stature and without the junior scoring resume, but the realistic best-case scenario for Josephson is as a Ryan Winterton-type professional.
With this in mind, it was not a foregone conclusion Josephson would have the opportunity to climb the developmental ladder this year. When North Dakota asked him to take a visit in Grand Forks, “I was fully going to go back to Red Deer,” Josephson told Condor, referring to his WHL club. The opportunity with North Dakota—another top NCAA team—was too much to pass up though.
Looking at North Dakota’s impressive depth chart over the summer, I was hoping Josephson would simply earn a regular, bottom-six role. Josephson has done so much more than that in the early going. He has skated as a top-nine center with a role on both special teams units. This is an immense opportunity for Josephson to prove that his low-event, defensive style can translate against stronger competition.
Ben MacDonald | F | Junior | Harvard Univ. (NCAA)
Perennially, MacDonald’s Harvard Crimson are the last team to take the ice for the season, and this year is no different. With Harvard’s season beginning Friday, the entire Kraken organization is finally underway. MacDonald, 21, has skated mostly on the wing for Harvard in his first two seasons. He has also operated from the half wall on Crimson power-play units, which has helped him improve his per-game scoring statistics year over year. Now a junior and coming off a solid Kraken Development Camp, MacDonald will look to take the production to the next level.
Barrett Hall | F | Junior | St. Cloud State (NCAA)
Now in his third year at St. Cloud State, Hall has elevated his status as a leader (alternate captain) and scorer (more than a point per game) for the Huskies. Hall’s nine points are second on the team behind only Anaheim Ducks draft pick Austin Burnevik. His plus-three plus-minus leads the team.
Zaccharya Wisdom | F | Junior | Western Michigan Univ. (NCAA)
Wisdom, 21, played his first two college hockey seasons as a bottom-six winger for Colorado College. Over the summer, Wisdom transferred to Western Michigan University, a national championship contender. At the time I viewed it as an opportunity for a modest upgrade in competition level and a chance to improve his production when surrounded by better talent. His production in the early going has borne that out. His .67 points per game through six games would be an NCAA career high.
Wisdom and Western Michigan square off against Hall and St. Cloud State twice this weekend.
Notes on three more Kraken prospects
Lleyton Roed | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Roed was injured during the second prospect scrimmage against the Vancouver Canucks at Kraken Rookie Camp. Subsequently, it was reported to be an upper-body injury that would require a two-month absence. Even so, Roed returned to the Firebirds lineup on Thursday night approximately two weeks ahead of schedule. Roed tallied an assist in the Firebirds win.
Tyson Jugnauth | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Speaking of the Firebirds win, defenseman Tyson Jugnauth was credited with the overtime winner on a shot that was initially saved but took a “fortuitous” bounce of a San Diego Gulls defender. Jugnauth will certainly take it; it’s the young blueliner’s first professional goal.
The San Diego Gulls helped Tyson Jugnauth score his first pro goal.
— FloHockey (@FloHockey) October 31, 2025
Only problem?
He plays for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.@Firebirds | @TheAHL | @pdxwinterhawks | @BadgerMHockey#LetsFly #AHL pic.twitter.com/rfttyEHgep
Jagger Firkus | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
As we have detailed over the last couple of weeks, a lot of responsibility has fallen on a group of young Firebirds players to grow into the scoring production void left by Max McCormick, Jani Nyman, and others. With Eduard Sale sidelined week-to-week, the pressure was probably felt most keenly by second-year forward Jagger Firkus.
Well, Firkus responded with two goals and two assists in three contests this week. If the Firebirds are going to hang around the playoff picture this season, I suspect Firkus’ emergence as a consistent top scoring threat will be a big reason why.
Kraken prospects data update
Nathan Villeneuve is really hitting his stride in the OHL right now. The Sudbury captain had nine points (two goals, seven assists) in three games over the last week. That effort is enough to earn him Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week.
Jake O’Brien now leads the OHL in total points and points per game.
Semyon Vyazovoi, 22, is scalding hot right now. After a slow start, he now leads the KHL in save percentage among all under-25 goalies with at least nine games played.
Nikke Kokko left the Firebirds game last Friday, Oct. 24, with an upper-body injury. The Firebirds have since deemed Kokko day-to-day. Victor Ostman has started each Firebirds game since, with Jack LaFontaine active as the backup.
Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
2: Kim Saarinen, Julius Miettinen
1: Jake O’Brien, Semyon Vyazovoi, Nathan Villeneuve
Previewing the week ahead
As mentioned above, MacDonald’s Harvard Crimson finally join the fray Friday against the University of Connecticut Huskies. The Deep Sea Hockey Games of the Week pit Kraken prospects Hall and Wisdom against each other on both Friday and Saturday.
Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: J.P. Hurlbert
Hurlbert was widely regarded as a top-45 prospect coming into the year after a solid season for the United States National Team Development Program. Now with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, he has taken his scoring production to a new level. His 28 points in 15 games lead the entire WHL by a wide margin. If he keeps up any semblance of this scoring pace, he won’t make it out of the first half or Round 1 in June.
Recent prospect updates
October 25, 2005: Mølgaard is an all-situations contributor as an AHL rookie
October 17, 2025: Tyson Jugnauth earns important role with the Firebirds
October 10, 2025: Firebirds drop the puck on the 2025-26 season
October 3, 2025: Catton makes his case for the NHL Roster
September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in
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.
Strive for 95 (points) – November update for the Kraken and their playoff chances
All aboard the Lane Train! Head coach Lane Lambert has navigated the Seattle Kraken to their best start in franchise history, going 5-2-3 for 13 points in 10 games, and sitting second in the Pacific Division. The Kraken’s previous best start was last season when they finished October with 11 points in 11 games. This season, they bested that mark in just 10 games. Seattle wrapped up its October schedule on the 28th, so all statistics are as of that date.
Injuries
What’s more impressive about this start is the Kraken have continued to collect points despite a slew of injuries. In total, Kraken starters have missed 36 man-games.
- Ryker Evans – 10
- Kaapo Kakko – 10
- Freddy Gaudreau – 6
- Jared McCann – 5
- Brandon Montour (personal) – 4
- Mason Marchment – 1
Fighting through the injuries and missed games, the Kraken have maintained their defensive structure, making them a tough team to play against. As of Oct. 28, the Kraken ranked ninth in the NHL in goals-against average at 2.80.
The injuries also created opportunity, allowing Berkly Catton to make his NHL debut. He’s maintained a spot on the top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. Catton has yet to score his first goal but has three assists through five games and looks like he belongs in the NHL.
October update
The Kraken had a target of 11 points for October and exceeded it, earning points in eight of 10 games for a total of 13. If you remember from the October edition of Strive for 95, the Kraken had five games against Playoff Bound teams, four against Bubble teams, and one against a Tanker team. Last season, the Kraken struggled against the Playoff Bound tier with a .234 points percentage. This season, they thrived in that tier, earning eight of 10 possible points (.800 points percentage).
Against the Bubble tier, they hit their target with five points. Two of those came against a sneaky-good Montreal team, with both matchups going to overtime. The lone Tanker-tier game, a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, was their worst performance of the month, which included Joey Daccord getting pulled. However, the Flyers appear to be improved this season, holding a 5-1 home record and sitting in the final wild card spot in the East.
The Kraken have played a sound defensive game, focusing on limiting high- and medium-danger chances while allowing opponents to take low-danger shots. The coaching staff has done an excellent job getting the team to buy into this structure, and the results speak for themselves. One nitpick: even at 5-2-3, the Kraken have scored just 28 goals and have an even goal differential. Getting the offense rolling would elevate this team further, but their identity is clearly rooted in strong defensive play and structure.
Updated tiers
Through the first month of the season, there are plenty of new names in playoff position. It’s early, so expect these tiers to shift as the season progresses.
Notes on tier movement
Atlantic Division: Montreal and Detroit have played strong hockey to start, but moving them into the Playoff Bound tier feels premature. November will be telling for both clubs. Florida and Toronto are hovering around .500, so they stay put for now but remain on watch.
Metropolitan Division: Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are both in playoff position with winning records, so they move out of the Tanker tier for now.
Central Division: Utah looks legit, scoring in bunches and remaining undefeated at home. That success forced a bit of a reshuffle, as having four teams from one division in the Playoff Bound tier this early felt excessive. Dallas slides down to the Bubble tier. Meanwhile, Minnesota and St. Louis have struggled out of the gate and move to the Tanker tier—not because they’ve given up, but because they’ve yet to find their rhythm.
Pacific Division: Calgary has struggled to find the back of the net and ranks last in the league in goals per game at 2.09, prompting their drop in tier.
November breakdown
November features 14 games — eight at home and six on the road — including two sets of back-to-backs. The road games are split between two trips, the first being a two-game swing and the second a four-game swing. The Kraken are two points above a 95-point pace, but there’s no reason to ease off the gas. The monthly target is 17 points.
Playoff Bound tier
The Kraken face just one team in this tier in November—the Winnipeg Jets at home. In their first meeting this season, Seattle shut Winnipeg out 3-0 as Daccord outdueled three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. Target: one point.
Bubble tier
Seattle will play 10 games against eight teams in this category, including two each versus Dallas and Chicago. They’ll also face Detroit, Pittsburgh, Columbus, the Islanders, Rangers, and Edmonton. Target: 11 points.
Tanker tier
There will be one game versus St. Louis and two against San Jose. The Blues and Sharks currently rank 31st and 32nd in goals against per game, at 4.4 and 4.6 respectively. Target: five points.
Looking ahead
It’s still early, and teams are feeling each other out. As the season progresses, the tiers will become clearer. The Kraken have started strong and put themselves in a good position to succeed. They can’t look too far ahead, but with only one game against a Playoff Bound team in November, there’s an opportunity to bank more points.
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.
Three Takeaways – Montour leads Kraken rally back from 3-0, but Canadiens win in OT
If you missed Tuesday’s game between the Seattle Kraken and Montreal Canadiens and plan to go back and watch, I might recommend skipping ahead a bit. In fact, you can probably fast-forward all the way to about 13 minutes remaining in the third period, when Montreal defenseman Jayden Struble took an ill-advised penalty inside Seattle’s blue line, hooking Berkly Catton on the hands.
That’s when the tide finally started to turn for the Kraken, who looked flat through the first two periods. They’d shown more jam to start the third but had then just allowed their second power-play goal against at 5:55 of the final frame.
But on that Struble penalty, Seattle coach Lane Lambert opted to send out the second power-play unit instead of the first—which had struggled mightily in the contest—and Catton connected with Brandon Montour to finally get the Kraken on the board.
From there, it was the Brandon Montour Show, as he put the team on his back and willed Seattle to an astonishing point in the standings.
The Kraken ultimately came up short, but that was one heckuva comeback. Here are Three Takeaways from a 4-3 Kraken overtime loss to the Canadiens.
Takeaway #1: Brandon Montour… that’s it… that’s the Takeaway
Like most of the Kraken, Montour wasn’t having his best outing through two periods. One sequence that stood out came late in the first, when he threw an errant pass toward Adam Larsson, then got caught flat-footed in no-man’s land and was walked by Kirby Dach. Joey Daccord sprawled and flared his left pad out, robbing Dach and keeping the score 2-0 through the first period.
Woof. Sloppy puck play leads to a power move by Kirby Dach. Joey Daccord stretches out and robs him with the left toe. pic.twitter.com/A0jqc5bEOY
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 29, 2025
But just when Seattle appeared ready to fade quietly into the night, sinking into a 3-0 deficit with 14 minutes left, Montour lifted up his teammates with two goals and an assist in under 10 minutes.
Both his goals were simple one-timers through traffic, using Montreal defenders as screens. On the first, he fired low on the ice and got a fortunate redirection off Alexandre Carrier’s stick that ramped the puck into the top corner over Jakub Dobes.
BRANDON BOMBTOUR! 💣
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 29, 2025
The power play comes through! Catton with a simple pass, and Montour one-times it and gets a good bounce off Alexandre Carrier. Schwartz with the screen. #SeaKraken on the board, but still a big hill to climb.
3-1. pic.twitter.com/utmOyr3LmW
“Just getting the shot,” Montour said. “I don’t even know— at that time [of the power-play goal], we might have had 12 shots on net, 11 shots on net. We didn’t give that goalie much work tonight, but [we had Jaden Schwartz], guys in front of the net, I just tried to get it there and kind of find a lane. Nice to see them go through.”
Montour’s next trick was helping Eeli Tolvanen turn a broken play into a perfect setup for Shane Wright. Both Montour and Tolvanen drove hard to the net, lost the puck, then kept the play alive with a retrieval and pass behind the net back to Montour. He quickly found Wright in the slot, who ripped it through traffic and beat Dobes clean.
Then, with the game on the line, Montour did it again—completing Seattle’s three-goal comeback with his second of the night. With Daccord off for an extra skater, Montour blasted another one-timer from distance that found its way in.
“We found ways to get a few more pucks to the net [in the third period] and get them in,” Lambert said. “Obviously, we did a really good job 6-on-5, and our power play scored a big goal for us to get us going. And again, it’s just another shot. There were power plays at the start of the game where we just passed it around. We’ve got to get pucks to the net.”
Remember, Montour is playing with a heavy heart; he’s just one game removed from a leave of absence after the passing of his brother, Cameron, on Monday following a battle with ALS.
“It’s pretty amazing to see [what he’s doing],” Wright said of Montour. “What he’s been through the last couple of weeks here, to even just be here, let alone playing as well as he is, and perform at that level. He always performs that way, day in, day out. It’s really special.”
Takeaway #2: Some interesting line shuffling
As Seattle struggled to generate any semblance of offense through the first two periods, the only trio that consistently created pressure was the fourth line of Tye Kartye, Ben Meyers, and Ryan Winterton.
Late in the second, with the Kraken desperate for a spark, Winterton, who looked fast and pesky all night, was suddenly elevated to the second line with Jaden Schwartz and Chandler Stephenson.
When Seattle came out for the third, Lambert had also moved Jani Nyman down to the fourth line, while the new third line featured Mason Marchment, Wright, and Tolvanen.
The juggling worked. And while Nyman’s move to the fourth line could be seen as a demotion, he made an almost immediate impact, going right after Dach following a dangerous hit on Meyers.
Yikes. Bad hit by Dach on Ben Meyers, and the whole #SeaKraken team goes after him.
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 29, 2025
Nyman and Dach each got 2 minutes. We'll play 4v4. pic.twitter.com/aNj8C63PGJ
Wright’s goal that got Seattle within 3-2 came during the ensuing 4-on-4.
“I think it was fantastic [by Jani],” Lambert said. “We have to be team tough, and when one of our teammates gets hit, which we considered it to be a dirty hit, we have to stand up for him. And I thought it was a good momentum turner.”
Takeaway #3: Cole Caufield finishes the job
Just like when the Kraken and Canadiens went to overtime in Montreal on Oct. 14, Cole Caufield scored his second of the game to end it. The circumstances were different this time—Seattle rallied instead of Montreal—but the result was the same.
COLE CAUFIELD ÉTABLIT UN NOUVEAU RECORD DE FRANCHISE POUR LE NOMBRE DE BUTS EN PROLONGATION
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 29, 2025
COLE CAUFIELD, THE MOST OT GOALS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/8cYFKq2suT
“Honestly, we had the puck, we lost the puck, they made a stretch pass, and we got it back,” Caufield said. “Hockey happens fast, and I saw a hole there, and luckily it went in. I [made it look] like I was going behind the net, and I just stopped up. I’ve never played goalie before, but that can’t be too easy to grab the post there. So, I just made a read.”
Caufield remains an elite scorer, surrounded by other top-tier talent that makes Montreal a skilled and increasingly dangerous team for the foreseeable future.
“I thought [Caufield] was excellent on both sides of the puck,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “I thought he was crisp, and he defended hard. He had his fastball tonight.”
Seattle’s season series with Montreal is now complete, with the Kraken finishing 0-0-2 against the Habs. Perhaps these two teams will meet again in the Stanley Cup Final, though?
Okay, I’ll show myself out.
It would have been nice for the Kraken to cap off the comeback with a win, but earning a point on a night when they trailed 3-0 with 14 minutes to go is no small feat.
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.
