This week, the guys have a great in-person interview with new Seattle Kraken forward Mason Marchment, acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars earlier this summer.
With Marchment, the guys discuss his unusual path to the NHL, what it was like getting traded from a team where he had lots of close connections, and getting hit in the face with a slap shot. It’s a great conversation.
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Looking at what the Seattle Kraken have done this offseason under new general manager Jason Botterill, it’s plain to see that he expects to factor a couple of young players rising through the ranks into his lineup in 2025-26. After trading for Mason Marchment and Frederick Gaudreau and signing Ryan Lindgren to a four-year, $18 million contract, two spots in the forward corps remain open to theoretically be filled by rookies.
There are three young players that we believe—for different reasons—have the strongest chances to make the Opening Night lineup.
Why do we think these players can make the team? What roles will they play for Seattle? How much production can we expect out of them? Let’s dig in.
Saying we think Berkly Catton will make the initial NHL roster is not the boldest prediction we have ever made here on Sound Of Hockey dot com (that’s Sound Of Hockey… dot com). Botterill has said publicly that he doesn’t want to block young players in the pipeline from making the team, and the high-flying captain of the Spokane Chiefs is widely viewed as the best prospect in Seattle’s system.
Surely, the team would prefer to start Catton in Coachella Valley of the AHL, where he could theoretically get used to playing professional hockey against men. But because he is only 19 years old, and because the old CHL/NHL transfer agreement that forbids 19-year-old CHL players from playing in the AHL is in place for one more season, the Firebirds are not an option for Catton. So he can only stick in the NHL or return to the WHL, where he just dominated for the second season in a row, posting 109 points (38 goals, 71 assists) in 57 games, plus an eye-popping 42 points (11-31=42) in 20 playoff games.
The rule barring Catton from the AHL will change in 2026-27, when each team will be allowed to put one 19-year-old CHL player in the AHL. But until then, Catton is beholden to the same restriction that made Shane Wright’s 19-year-old season an absolute whirlwind—taking him to Seattle, briefly to Coachella Valley for a loophole conditioning stint, then to the IIHF World Junior Championship, and then back to the OHL, where he was traded from the Kingston Frontenacs to the Windsor Spitfires.
There is a strong chance Catton’s season will be similarly chaotic if he gets into the NHL and shows he’s not quite ready for a full-time role. Regardless, I am confident he will make the team out of camp, stick around at least until he hits the nine-game contract slide threshold, and then Seattle will decide what to do with him.
In a way, the age rule gives Catton an inside track at making the team out of camp, even if he’s not truly ready; the question is how long he stays.
Jani Nyman, a more seasoned pro at 21 years old, also has a good chance of making the team, and one could imagine him playing more NHL games than Catton, even if he doesn’t break camp with the Kraken. His 12-game stint with the big club last season delivered some electric moments, and he ended up with six points (3-3=6) before returning to the Firebirds for their playoff push.
After two outstanding seasons for Ilves of the Finnish Liiga, Nyman came to North America and immediately produced for the Firebirds, scoring 44 points (28-16=44) and leading all AHL rookies in goals. There is reason to believe his heavy shot makes him a legitimate and immediate threat on an NHL power play.
My question for Nyman is where he could play at 5-on-5. The Kraken have Jaden Schwartz, Kaapo Kakko, Jared McCann, Mason Marchment, Jordan Eberle, and Eeli Tolvanen theoretically filling out their wing roles on the top three lines, not to mention Catton, who I think will also start on wing. Can Nyman pry one of those spots away from a veteran? Or are the Kraken comfortable playing him in a fourth-line role?
I don’t see the latter being a good fit for Nyman, who isn’t being developed by Seattle as a fourth-liner. Assuming good health for the team, I believe this stacks the deck against him. Catton faces a similar role-related conundrum, but the AHL option for Nyman could be enticing for the Kraken if he doesn’t blow them away in training camp.
While there may not be an ideal roster fit for Nyman, there is one for hard-nosed 22-year-old winger Jacob Melanson, who plays a prototypical fourth-line style. Including Catton and Tye Kartye, who signed a two-year contract worth $2.5 million earlier this summer, the Kraken have 12 forwards who I think are (more or less) locks to be on the roster in October.
But there’s room for another bottom-of-the-lineup-type player, and Melanson—who showed well in his one NHL game last season—fits that mold better than Nyman or Catton.
How much Seattle can expect in terms of production from its rookies is a crapshoot. There are so many variables to consider, including which of them ends up with the NHL team and how long they stick around. Plus, there are other forward prospects who have knocked at the door, like Ryan Winterton and Logan Morrison. And what about others who haven’t yet made their NHL debuts, like Eduard Sale, Jagger Firkus, David Goyette, Carson Rehkopf, et al? Could any of them come in and blow the doors off at training camp?
There’s also still a chance Seattle acquires a player or two, which could block a rookie from making the team.
Even so, let’s make some wild predictions about how a Catton, Nyman, and/or Melanson rookie season could look.
Here are some players with comparable profiles to Berkly Catton and how they performed as rookies:
Those are some big-time players, and although their profiles are similar to Catton’s, I’m not convinced he will have that significant of an impact this season. I’m going to project that he takes a similar wild ride to Wright’s 19-year-old season and only plays nine games spread over two months for the Kraken, posting around three points. I hope I’m wrong about that, but it feels to me like he’s a year away from being a productive, full-time NHLer.
If Nyman does get a significant role this season, I have to think it will be mostly in a depth position with power-play usage. So he probably won’t score a ton at 5-on-5, but he could pump in some one-timers with the manpower advantage.
Here’s how a couple of similarly profiled players performed as rookies:
Those comparables could be realistic if Nyman can carve out a full-time role and get meaningful minutes, but I’m not convinced that will happen. I’m predicting 50 NHL games for him and something in the range of 20 points. He’ll spend the rest of the season improving his skating, lighting up the AHL, and biding his time to become a key Kraken contributor in 2026-27.
If Melanson sticks with the team, it will be because of his two-way, gritty play, not because of his offensive production. I’d project 10 points for him in… let’s say 20 games.
With Catton, Nyman, and Melanson factored in, here’s how our depth chart currently looks for the Kraken. I don’t necessarily think Catton is above Eeli Tolvanen, but if Seattle wants to carve out a top-nine role for Catton, Tolvanen feels like the most likely player to slide to the fourth line.
Forwards
Jaden Schwartz // Matty Beniers // Kaapo Kakko
Jared McCann // Chandler Stephenson // Mason Marchment
Berkly Catton // Shane Wright // Jordan Eberle
Eeli Tolvanen // Frederick Gaudreau // Tye Kartye
Jani Nyman // Jacob Melanson
Defense
Vince Dunn // Adam Larsson
Ryan Lindgren // Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans // Jamie Oleksiak
Josh Mahura
Ville Ottavainen
Cale Fleury
Goalies
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
It goes without saying the Kraken will not make it through the full season without injuries, so even if two of the rookies mentioned in this article are not in the lineup on Opening Night, it is likely that a spot will open up as the season goes on. Even so, it does seem Seattle could benefit from adding a veteran player to its midst, either at the top of the lineup via trade (which is becoming less and less likely the deeper we get into the doldrums of summer) or at the bottom of the lineup with a waiver claim or free-agent signing.
What say you, folks? Will one or more rookie forwards play a key role for the Kraken this season? Or do they sign another depth player or two?
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.
It’s full-on offseason for the guys and for the NHL right now. Still, Sound Of Hockey manages to pull together a short-but-sweet episode this week, discussing several Kraken topics like Buoy getting chased by a bear, plus a nice little Buy / Sell / Hold segbit considering a number of scenarios for early in the season.
Plus, Weekly One-Timers, What’s Good?, and Darren went in a mosh pit.
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Last week I posted a deep dive on the Seattle Kraken’s goal scoring over the 2024–25 season. Several of you asked to see the other side of the equation, so this week I’m doing another deep dive, this time into goals against. The publicly available data and tools are limited, so this breakdown will be a bit basic and theoretically incomplete, bur it gives us an idea of how the Kraken have trended.
If there’s a broad area you can point to as the reason for the disappointing 2024–25 season, it’s the goals against. Without any high-end talent, the Kraken have had to lean heavily on team defense to be competitive. But this past season saw the Kraken allow the most goals per game since their inaugural year.
They finished 22nd in the league, giving up 3.20 goals per game. Compared to last year’s 2.83, that’s an increase of +0.37 goals per game.
Just like we approached Kraken goals for last week, let’s break down how teams scored against the Kraken.
Maybe a little surprising: the Kraken’s goals against while shorthanded were relatively low, just 0.54 per game. Here’s how the goals against by scenario compares across the league in 2024–25.
Clearly, the Kraken need to improve their defense on their 5-on-5 play which is a large percentage of their even-strength time on ice.
From a goals-against-on-the-penalty-kill perspective, the Kraken look… alright. They allowed the 10th-fewest total power-play goals against, despite ranking 27th in the league on penalty kill percentage. It turns out that encouraging total is propped up by the fact Seattle was one of the most disciplined teams in the league.
Seattle was fifth in the NHL for fewest times shorthanded. So while the raw total looks fine, the percentage was below average, and we’ve already talked about how offseason additions should help improve that. Here’s how the Kraken’s PK volume and efficiency stack up league-wide.
Now let’s look at the Kraken’s shots against per game.
Seattle ranked 17th in the league in shots against, which is again a little surprising, given their 27th-place finish in the standings. But as we all know, not all shots are created equal. So let’s dig into the quality of shots against: high, medium, and low danger.
Like the overall shot volume, the Kraken were right around the league average in high- and medium-danger shots allowed. That’s not bad at all, especially considering several 2025 playoff teams allowed more dangerous chances per game. The Kraken did allow more low-danger shots than most, but that’s not terribly concerning.
Of course, the other critical element of team defense is goaltending. So let’s check in on team save percentage, broken out by strength.
As you might expect, Seattle’s team save percentage was on the low side, but still (somehow) above two playoff teams: Montreal and Carolina. Still, there’s a lot of room for improvement.
Here’s a look at the Kraken’s save percentages by shot danger level, per NaturalStatTrick.com:
Interestingly, the Kraken’s save percentage got worse relative to the rest of the league as the shots got easier. Spot-checking other teams reveals a lack of consistency. For example, Anaheim was 22nd in high-danger save percentage, fourth in medium-danger, and first in low-danger save percentage.
We can theorize that there’s something systemic at play here, maybe Anaheim’s defensive structure prevents cross-ice passes in medium- and low-danger areas but leaves low-danger shooters more open for cross-seam chances. The inverse might be true for the Kraken’s 2024-25 system implemented by Dan Bylsma.
We all know Philipp Grubauer struggled this past season, and the numbers back that up. But let’s put it in context by looking at save percentages for all goalies who played 25+ games.
Yeah… no sugarcoating that one.
Just for good measure, let’s look at Grubauer’s save percentage by shot quality.
It’s a pretty poor performance across the board.
Aside from the obvious need for improvement from Grubauer, the Kraken are actually middle of the pack in a lot of defensive categories. As mentioned before, the additions of Ryan Lindgren and Fredrick Gaudreau should help the penalty kill.
There’s also hope that Lane Lambert can implement systems that reduce both the volume and quality of shots the Kraken face, which, in theory, should cut down on goals against.
All in all, the Kraken’s goals against story in 2024–25 is a mixed bag. Some areas, like overall shot volume and penalty kill goals allowed, aren’t as dire as the standings might suggest, while other areas, like 5-on-5 goals allowed and backup goaltending, clearly have room for improvement. With some key roster tweaks already in place and a new coaching staff behind the bench, there’s at least some reason for cautious optimism heading into 2025–26 that things will get better. The defense doesn’t need to become elite overnight, but if the Kraken can bring the goals against down even a little, they’ll give themselves a much better shot at turning things around.
The World Junior Summer Showcase is an idle summer exhibition among four U20 national teams. No trophy or title is on the line, and summer play always needs to be taken in context.
It also means a lot, though. For the nations—the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland—it marks the culmination of summer work as they begin their quest to claim the 2026 World Junior Championship. For the players, it is a last chance to leave an impression on team management before dispersing to their various club teams for fall play.
For fans, the World Junior Summer Showcase is an oasis in a 45-day hockey desert between July 1 and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in mid-August. It is a sneak peek at the teams and players who will take center stage come December. It is also an opportunity to get a glimpse at an elite grouping of NHL prospects together on a level playing field—including some newly drafted players that fans may have never seen play live before.
We tracked the event with an eye on the Seattle Kraken prospects participating—goalie Kim Saarinen for Finland, defenseman Blake Fiddler for the United States, and forwards Berkly Catton, Jake O’Brien, and Ollie Josephson for Canada. How did they look and what do their World Juniors prospects looks like? Let’s dig in with some quick takeaways and game video to bring you up to speed.
Finland won four of the five games it played and exceeded expectations more than any other team. If you were stacking the countries by total talent, Finland would be fourth—even with some other teams sitting many returning players. Yet, Finland topped the United States in two of three contests and beat Canada and Sweden in their only meetings. Aatos Koivu (2024 third-round pick, Montreal) led the event scoring with six goals.
Kraken forward prospect and Everett Silvertip Julius Miettinen did not participate in the World Junior Summer Showcase for Finland, though he was on Finland’s summer camp list. It’s unclear if he was held out with an injury or because his spot at the tournament is secure. Either way, the 2024 second-rounder’s spot is most certainly secure as a top-six piece for Finland—with some suggesting he could be set for top-line responsibilities in December.
Saarinen earned a spot on last year’s World Juniors team after a strong fall in club play. Though he didn’t crack the lineup at last year’s event, he continued to burnish his track record with even better club play down the stretch—finishing third overall in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, in save percentage.
This work earned Saarinen the first start for Team Finland at the World Junior Summer Showcase against a United States split-squad unit that included Blake Fiddler. Unfortunately for Saarinen, he was the last line of defense behind what was easily Finland’s worst 30 minutes of the Showcase through the first half of that game. The United States piled up dangerous chances, with Saarinen performing admirably to keep Finland afloat.
Team USA White could easily have had 4 or 5 goals in the 1st period of Game 1 vs. Finland at the World Junior Summer Showcase. #SeaKraken goalie Kim Saarinen gave up only one and it was on a perfectly-executed, dead-red 2-on-0 where he had no chance. Many other grade A saves ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/M6T6PEvuwU
— Deep Sea Hockey (@DeepSeaHockey) July 27, 2025
Ultimately, it wasn’t enough for Finland that day, though Saarinen’s final stat line of 20 saves on 24 shots hardly does justice to how well he played. Only one of those goals was on less than a “high-danger” shot, and he turned away at least six or seven other point-blank looks.
He earned one more start in the tournament—against Team Canada—and he looked even better, turning away 30 of 33 shots on goal and earning the win. Again, Canada could easily have had a few more but for Saarinen’s relatively strong work.
Unfortunately for Saarinen, the goalie he sat behind at last year’s World Juniors, Petteri Rimpinen, is also eligible to return for this year’s event—and Rimpinen was arguably even better at the Showcase. Rimpinen also had two starts, beating the United States on a 16-of-19 performance and then beating rival Sweden in a 27-of-28 performance in the final game of the event for Finland.
Projection: Saarinen is on Team Finland’s roster for the WJC. He remains behind Rimpinen on the Team Finland depth chart, however. The gap is not so wide as to be insurmountable if Saarinen outplays Rimpinen this fall in Liiga. I’d also expect Saarinen to get at least one start in pool play this year, even if Rimpinen remains entrenched as the primary starter and performs well.
Team USA graduated an immensely talented class of players last year, including Gabe Perreault, Ryan Leonard, and Zeev Buium—not to mention Will Smith, who stuck in the NHL with San Jose and didn’t go to the 2025 World Juniors. This year’s roster is still talented enough to compete into the medal rounds, led by holdover James Hagens, but it will need to do more with less—and successfully integrate a new coaching staff—if it is going to celebrate a third consecutive World Junior Championship on home ice this winter.
The showcase was a warning sign that things aren’t going to come as easily this time. After a split-squad victory over Finland on the first day of the event, Team USA dropped all six of the other games it played.
Team USA got a close look at the underage Fiddler, deploying him in four games—two split-squad games to begin and then two of the team’s three full-roster games. Fiddler’s usage, however, suggested he’s at best a bubble projection for the World Juniors roster. Fiddler skated mostly in a third-pair role, with backup usage on the penalty kill.
Despite the limited role, Fiddler brought a solid version of his current game to the Showcase. He activated frequently and was unafraid to carry the puck up the ice and even deep into the opposing zone. He has good offensive instincts to create space and opportunities for his teammates—though he would often push the play a stride or two too far and turn the puck over before his team could capitalize on his earlier good work.
His confidence on the attack is innate and a good foundation for his offensive profile moving forward. Though he didn’t score in this event, and his junior production has not been overwhelming to date, I suspect the point totals could take a step forward this year as the results catch up with the on-ice work.
He’s at his best defensively when he’s diagnosing the play in front of him and being aggressive. He had a few physical blue line denials that were pro-caliber plays. He also missed a couple denial attempts, leaving his team at an odd-numbered disadvantage, but I think it’s good he’s trying for these kind of plays and testing his limits.
Projection: He’s on the outside looking in right now. If he can take a step forward either offensively or defensively this fall, he could make it tough for Team USA to exclude him from the World Juniors roster. His combination of talent and size is rare.
Canada will once again approach the World Junior Championship with more talent than any other team. Can a new coaching staff find the answers necessary to return Canada to top of the podium?
The Showcase was a disappointing first step. While Team Canada was dealing with many injuries and sat most of its returning players after one internal scrimmage and one game against Finland, it still had enough to win any time it stepped on the ice. Even so, Canada prevailed only once. Goaltending continues to be a question mark, though Joshua Ravensbergen flashed some strong play at times.
Catton will be a key cog for Canada this winter in Minnesota (unless he ends up playing the full season with the Kraken, and they choose not to have him go to the WJC). He’ll be a featured playmaker both at 5-on-5 and on Canada’s top power-play unit. He could even wear the “C” for Canada.
Likely for this reason, Catton didn’t see much ice time at the Showcase, only playing in Canada’s internal scrimmage. He was listed to play against Finland but later removed from the lineup. I haven’t seen any reporting indicating Catton was scratched with an injury, so for now, we will just assume Canada’s brass had simply “seen enough” from Catton.
Catton displayed his trademark skills in the Team Canada scrimmage. Whenever he was out there, he was transporting pucks into the zone, creating space, and setting up his teammates. Unfortunately, the chemistry wasn’t quite there with his linemates yet, and the advantages he won didn’t turn into much.
Projection: Catton’s on the team. It’s on Team Canada to put him in a position where he can leverage his talents to drive play. (I’ll give it a 2.5 percent chance he sticks with Seattle and the team decides not to allow him to go to the WJC.)
O’Brien was solid but relatively quiet through most of the Showcase. Canada used him in a third-line center role with very little power-play exposure. O’Brien brings enough all-around skill to be a net positive in this diminished role, but you’re not going to get the best version of the player if you’re leaving his power-play skills on the bench.
Throughout the tournament, O’Brien did a good job driving the play up ice, transporting the puck with agility, puck handling, and vision. The lack of a high-end speed element was notable against this elevated competition. If he can unlock a bit more explosion in his stride, he could be a handful in transition.
In the offensive zone, O’Brien has the creativity, vision, and skill to make high-danger plays whenever the puck is on his stick. While he can create advantages working east to west, the thing I like the most about his offensive play is that he is always moving toward the net, as if by force of gravity. He piles up points by constantly going to the dangerous areas. He’s going to need to add bulk to make that play style work at the professional level, but the baseline is there.
In the last 30 minutes of the Showcase, O’Brien finally found space to put his offensive toolkit to work. First, he evaded a defender in the slot, delayed, and found a teammate, Malcolm Spence, for a tap-in goal.
#SeaKraken prospect Jake O'Brien (#17) with the stick handling, patience and precision pass from the slot to find teammate Malcolm Spence for the tap in.
— Deep Sea Hockey (@DeepSeaHockey) August 2, 2025
Canada leads the United States 2-0 through two periods in the capstone rivalry game at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase. pic.twitter.com/8p4TJZ6HKg
Later, he worked a give-and-go sequence with Marek Vanacker to perfection before burying the shot for his first and only goal of the event.
#SeaKraken prospect Jake O'Brien adds a goal in the dying moments of the last game of the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase against Team USA on a sweet give-and-go sequence. O'Brien's passing and finishing skill both on display. pic.twitter.com/Oursp0e5GR
— Deep Sea Hockey (@DeepSeaHockey) August 2, 2025
Defensively, O’Brien is willing to get low and hit his landmarks as a center, which a great start. His stick stays active. He can get caught puck watching a bit too much sometimes, and he needs a bit more strength to hold up in critical areas. But the foundation is there.
Projection: On the outside. By the last game of the tournament, O’Brien was being deployed in a third-line role with no special teams responsibilities. Once the returning and injured players are layered back into the lineup, that usage suggests to me that O’Brien may be squeezed out. O’Brien may need a strong fall or other injuries to make the team in December. The second half of the Showcase finale against Team USA was a good first step.
Josephson’s name wasn’t reported among the likely invitees to Team Canada camp a few weeks ago. Even so, after several forward injuries mounted, Josephson ultimately won an invite and played a steady fourth-line and penalty-kill role across several showcase games.
Josephson can transport the puck through the neutral zone when called upon, but he was at his best hounding opponents on the forecheck and creating pressure at the top of the defensive structure on the penalty kill. It’s clear you can rely on Josephson to do the little things right defensively, but he didn’t have the opportunity to show much offensively in his limited role.
Projection: On the outside. Josephson is the type of player you could have imagined a previous Team Canada regime taking to the tournament as a fourth-liner. Indeed, it’s not difficult to envision him providing a solid 10 or so minutes per game in a forechecking and penalty-killing role. That said, I doubt Team Canada will go that way after taking so much criticism in recent years for leaving high-end talent off the roster. Choosing Josephson (over a player like O’Brien, for example) would be “more of the same” from a team that is likely looking for a new narrative and new results this year.
In addition to Julius Miettinen, I suspect we’ll see one more player at the 2026 World Juniors who didn’t participate in the Showcase: defenseman Jakub Fibigr. The 2025 seventh-round pick made Team Czechia last year as an underager. While his club play in the OHL plateaued a bit last season, he continued as a stalwart performer for Czechia in international events, and I’d expect that to continue later this year.
I suspect Team Canada considered Nathan Villeneuve as a candidate for a depth role audition this summer, but the team went with Josephson (and others) instead. This does not fully eliminate Villeneuve as a candidate. Carson Rehkopf is an example of a player who didn’t participate in summer camp before earning a spot for Canada at the 2024 World Juniors. But it does put Villeneuve well behind the eight ball—which is too bad because it’s easy to envision Villeneuve as a forechecking terror on the world stage.
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.
The bulk of NHL free agency is far in the rearview mirror. But there are still some unrestricted free agents (UFAs) out there who could be intriguing short-term options, especially for the Seattle Kraken, who still need to add to their depth.
The Kraken have already made a few notable moves this offseason. Briefly: they acquired Mason Marchment from the Dallas Stars, signed free-agent defenseman Ryan Lindgren, and traded for forward Freddy Gaudreau.
Even with those additions and some re-signings, the Kraken still have a little over $6.5 million in cap space to work with if they choose to make another move. While general manager Jason Botterill has indicated the team is happy with its offseason so far, there’s always room for more.
“You look at our forwards, our defense, our goaltending. We’re trying to bring depth to our organization,” Botterill said at development camp regarding the moves made this season. “We’re trying to create competition in a lot of different positions.”
Being competitive consistently is what the Kraken have always strived for, but three of their four seasons have fallen short due to a dearth of starpower up top and a lack of depth at the bottom of the lineup—both offensively and defensively.
New head coach Lane Lambert could benefit from adding another depth piece that can help at both ends of the ice.
“We have to find competitive advantages down the lineup. Whether that’s a third- or fourth-liner in the forward position or having a strong second or third D-pair, those are things that we need to continue to work on,” Botterill said.
Looking at the current depth chart, there’s certainly room for at least one more veteran addition. So, with about a month before training camp starts, here are a few names still on the market that could be good fits for the Kraken—and what they might cost.
GP: 56 | G: 15 | A: 14 | P: 29 | PPG: 0.52 | PIM: 16
Previous Cap Hit: $1.075 million, 1 year
Escaping the grasps of the Buffalo Sabres and joining the Vegas Golden Knights seemed to do wonders for the Swedish right winger, as he finished with a positive rating for the first time in his six full NHL seasons—plus-17.
Olofsson was also a key contributor to Vegas’ power-play success last season, scoring six goals. He would be a boost in helping the Kraken’s special teams get off to a fast start.
GP: 63 | G: 11 | A: 7 | P: 18 | PPG: 0.29 | PIM: 46
Previous Cap Hit: $2.75 million, 1 year
Kunin offers some offensive upside and could fit the competitive mold the Kraken are looking for in their depth pieces.
Physicality is his bread and butter, however, as he’s near the top of the league in hits each season, with 187 last season. Unsurprisingly, he does also collect a lot of penalty minutes because of the edge he plays with.
GP: 82 | G: 1 | A: 39 | P: 40 | PPG: 0.49 | PIM: 16
Previous Cap Hit: $2.75 million, 1 year
Grzelcyk isn’t going to wow you with his goal scoring, but he is a smart passer who creates breakout plays. His 39 assists last season were a career high.
While it’s unlikely the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder signs with Seattle given the current collection of left-shot defensemen with Vince Dunn, Jamie Oleksiak, Ryker Evans, Josh Mahura, and the aforementioned Lindgren, Grzelcyk could be a fit if Botterill ends up trading a lefty blueliner.
GP: 54 | G: 3 | A: 6 | P: 9 | PPG: 0.17 | PIM: 28
Previous Cap Hit: $2.75 million, 3 years
Again, with the blue line currently appearing full, signing a defenseman feels unlikely. But if somebody were to move out, adding a right-shot defenseman might be more up the Kraken’s alley. Rutta stands at 6-foot-3, 210 lbs. The former two-time Stanley Cup champion would bring penalty-killing experience and some size D corps.
Forwards:
Defensemen:
So what do you think? Should the Kraken consider any of the names mentioned above? Leave your thoughts below.
After Darren took a 5-star beating on the last episode, he’s back from his hiatus (which he talks about quite a bit), and several listeners came rushing to his aide on this week’s episode.
That leads to plenty of hijinks, but don’t worry, there’s also lots of Kraken talk. The guys discuss Kaapo Kakko’s contract extension with the team and debate who of next year’s UFA’s should be re-signed.
Also, talk about signings around the league, Weekly One-Timers, Goalie Gear Corner, and What’s Good?
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As we approach the dog days of the NHL offseason, I wanted to take a deep dive into the Seattle Kraken’s scoring to identify some areas of opportunity for improvement. Specifically, I want to look at the key drivers of scoring — things like volume, quality, and special teams — to see how the Kraken compare across the league.
The Kraken ranked 16th in average goals scored per game last season with 2.99. They also had the fourth-highest improvement in goal scoring from the previous year, adding +0.38 goals per game compared to 2023–24. While there’s still room to improve, the situation might not be as grim as you would have expected for a team that finished 27th in the league in standings points.
Let’s take a look at how the Kraken scored across different scenarios over the last four seasons.
The data shows substantial season-over-season improvement in even-strength goals, with a smaller uptick specifically at 5-on-5, though there was a decline in power-play goals per game. But how do these categories stack up across the league?
The charts show that the Kraken were middle of the pack at even strength, ranking 15th in the league for even-strength goals per game and 13th at 5-on-5. An optimist could point to a healthy season from Vince Dunn and Jordan Eberle, plus steps forward from Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, as reasons to expect even-strength scoring to improve. That might happen, but for the sake of caution, let’s assume those numbers stay flat. That leaves the power play as a clear area of opportunity.
The Kraken averaged 0.52 power-play goals per game during the 2024–25 season. That number depends on two things: how often the team gets on the power play (opportunities), and how well they execute once they get the manpower advantage (power play percentage).
Seattle averaged 2.76 power-play opportunities per game, ranking 14th in the league. On the execution side, their 18.9 percent power-play conversion rate was 23rd, well below league average.
Last season’s 18.9 percent power-play rate was on the lower end, but it’s worth noting that Jordan Eberle missed half the season and Vince Dunn missed 20 games. Kraken fans may reasonably expect some bounce-back in 2025-26 if the power-play units stay relatively healthy. There’s also speculation that newly acquired Mason Marchment could slot into a power-play unit and provide a complementary skillset.
Zooming back out to broader scoring trends, let’s look at shot volume across all situations.
As the chart indicates, the Kraken ranked 25th in the league in all-situations shots on goal per game. Notably, two playoff teams, the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens, had even fewer shots per game. But to really assess the impact of volume, we need to dig into shot quality.
Using data from NaturalStatTrick.com, the Kraken ranked second-lowest in high-danger shots on goal per game. Only the San Jose Sharks, the worst team in the league, had fewer.
Generating more chances from the “inside” — the high-danger areas — has been a recurring message for a few seasons now. It came up during Jason Botterill’s introductory press conference and was echoed by Lane Lambert in recent interviews.
It’s easy to say, “The team needs more high-danger shots,” and yes, a coaching staff can implement systems to create more of those looks. But personnel still matters. Enter Mason Marchment.
The Kraken acquired Marchment early in the offseason to help create that inside threat and bring a little edge in front of the net. While he wasn’t acquired as a direct replacement for Oliver Bjorkstrand, he could effectively fill that role from a production standpoint — both have scored around 20 goals in each of the last two seasons. Marchment’s net-front presence stands out in shot density charts when compared to Bjorkstrand.
Will Marchment’s gritty, crease-crashing style from Dallas translate to Seattle? We’ll see. But if the Kraken are trying to better establish themselves around the net, adding someone comfortable in that space is a smart move.
Saying the Kraken need to score more goals is an obvious diagnosis. Could they use more scoring? Absolutely — but so could 20 other teams.
On paper, the team didn’t do enough to guarantee a big scoring boost, but they likely did enough to maintain what they had. Without the addition of a high-end scorer, expecting a massive jump in power-play efficiency might be unrealistic. However, natural growth from younger players could result in subtle but important improvements.
As we get closer to opening night, I’ll publish my annual per-player goal forecast. From a personnel standpoint, just staying healthy could be one of the biggest boosts for the team next season. If Jani Nyman and/or Berkly Catton make the opening night roster, they could contribute more than those they replace. A bounce-back year from Jared McCann, plus the impact of a new coaching staff, could also move the needle.
Right now, it looks like the Kraken will aim to re-create the four-line scoring magic from their 2022–23 playoff season. Improving in some of the areas mentioned could help them get closer to that level, but a lot of things will have to go right.
As a hockey fan tracks the puck ricocheting around the ice between whistles, one might reasonably conclude that the sport is nothing more than improvised chaos (with sword shoes!). If you cast a broader gaze, though, the coordination of a ballet and the tactics of a chess match are revealed. Each foray is met with a coordinated response that is both instinctual and strategic.
Today, we’ll look at the defensive schemes new Seattle Kraken head coach Lane Lambert and his staff may deploy to meet opposing attacks, and how these may differ (or not) from what we’ve seen from the Kraken in the past. We’ll do that by examining the approaches Lambert utilized last season while helming the defense as the Associate Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
We focused on Lambert’s time in Toronto and not his other coaching stops for two reasons. First, as Lambert told Sound Of Hockey, his strategies have evolved as he has seen changes in the game. Tactics he may have deployed in earlier coaching stops may be outdated given the way the game is now played.
Second, and more practically, there is still video available for review from last season (until ESPN+ purges its 2024-25 archive in August, at least). To that end, if you’d rather learn by watching Lambert’s defenses, we’re here for you: You can check Toronto’s defensive work from Apr. 15, 2025, vs. Buffalo, Mar. 19, 2025, vs. Colorado (part one and part two), and Feb. 6, 2025 vs. Seattle.
Decisions about Seattle’s defensive approach and strategies have likely already happened. “You make those decisions [about schemes] before you get to training camp,” Lambert told Sound Of Hockey in a June 12 interview. “Through the summer here, that’s where the work comes in, and you get prepared for training camp. It’s a little bit personnel-based, for sure, but you also [set schemes] conducive to the style of play you want.” So, there is no better time to dive in.
Before looking at how Lambert’s Toronto defenses played, let’s briefly look at the quality of Leafs’ defensive work last season. The Maple Leafs were eighth in goals against overall—third in goals against at 5-on-5, and 24th on the penalty kill. According to Evolving Hockey, Toronto was about average (17th overall) in total shot quality against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, and in the bottom third of of the league (24th overall) in expected goals against on the penalty kill. Evolving Hockey suggests that Toronto received strong goaltending behind Lambert’s defenses, with Leafs goalies saving approximately 42 goals above expected last season.
Looking to shot maps produced by HockeyViz, generally speaking, we see that Toronto opponents tended to shoot more than league average from the outside (shown in red in the 5-on-5 chart and yellow/brown in the penalty kill chart) and created fewer shots than average closer to the goal (shown in blue and purple, respectively, in the charts).
Without further ado, let’s start with the neutral-zone forecheck, then turn to coverage in the defensive zone, and strategies in shorthanded situations.
Whenever you raise the topic of defense with hockey coaches, they’ll tell you that it begins in the offensive zone. Lambert is no exception. “[Defense] starts in the offensive zone, and it starts with your gaps and your back pressure and taking away time and space,” Lambert told Sound Of Hockey.
Defensive play starts with a key read in the offensive zone: Pressure the puck deep in the offensive zone or assume a neutral-zone defense structure to disrupt a rush and, ideally, force a turnover farther up ice. “[T]he worst thing a defenseman can do is on the offensive blue line when the other team gets the puck, they start to back up,” Lambert explained.
The judgment call is “about spacing, it’s about gaps,” Lambert continued. “If the [opposing] defensemen are going back [to retrieve or control the puck] and you can see numbers on [their back], you can go with two [forechecking forwards], you can pressure them. And then the third [forward] will, you know, read off of that. [I]t’s all about playing on your toes and putting pressure and being aggressive.”
On the other hand, if the opponent is “what we say, ‘eyes up’ and they’re looking at you and they’ve got complete control of the puck, then you’re more into your [neutral-zone forecheck] structure,” Lambert said.
In the neutral-zone forecheck “you’ve got gap control, you’ve got space control, and eventually, the idea is to force something before or very near the red line,” Lambert said. “[I]f you do force that and turn the puck over, then. . . [y]ou can turn it into a half-ice game and just transition right back onto offense. And you don’t have to come 200 feet, you only have to come 100 feet.”
Lambert’s neutral-zone forecheck is a 1-2-2 system. This is similar to what the Kraken ran under both Dave Hakstol and Dan Bylsma and the most common neutral-zone system utilized in the NHL.
The forward farthest up ice and closest to the puck (F1) assumes a position at the top of the formation and presses the opponent to commit to an attack or allow his teammates to change. F1 will also look for turnovers opportunistically. The next level (F2 and F3) looks to deny the red line, which would cause the opponent to ice the puck if they simply fire it into the offensive zone. Secondarily, this layer is looking to either funnel the attacker into a small area that the defensemen can then rotate over and cut off or force a lengthy dump-in from just across the red line.
The last layer (D1 and D2) looks to deny controlled entries into the zone (meaning zone entries where the opposition can carry the puck over the blue line, rather than dumping it). But the defensemen are reading the play in front of them and will retreat toward their defensive-zone positioning if the opponent rush has broken down Seattle’s structure.
As mentioned by Lambert, the third forward’s read is often important, particularly if two forechecking forwards are caught up ice and are racing back to catch the play. The F3 may attempt to funnel the play to the side on his own or retreat further, conceding the neutral zone, in an effort to disrupt a controlled offensive-zone entry.
According to manually tracked data from All Three Zones, Toronto’s neutral-zone forecheck conceded a near-league-average number of controlled offensive-zone entries, but ranked sixth in the league at suppressing opponent controlled entries leading directly to a scoring chance. This is one area that distinguished Toronto from Seattle defensively last season.
Once the opponent gets the puck into the offensive zone, the coverage evolves into a different zone structure.
If the opponent has possession high in the zone, two high forwards (typically the wingers) each patrol the halves of the ice above the dots, keeping position between themselves and the potential shooters. The high forwards (W1 and W2 in the image below) can interchange and carry an opponent who is skating the puck side-to-side high in the zone. The defensemen (D1 and D2) patrol halves of the ice from the dots down, working to keep themselves between the post and offensive players in their zone. Finally, the third forward (typically the center) defends the slot and carries attacking forwards through that area and lower.
If the puck moves below the dots along the half wall or into the corner, the coverage shifts. The defenseman to that side of the ice typically moves to contain and pressure the puck carrier. The center follows in to provide support in the corner and join in a puck battle if necessary. The remaining defenseman moves to cover the net front.
The strong-side high forward, typically a winger (W1 in the image above) moves in support toward the half wall to limit the low-to-high passing lanes while the weak-side high forward, typically the other winger (W2), moves down to the slot area. His role is to monitor for a defenseman crashing down for a shot and any players who could sneak toward the net for a “backdoor” play.
Similar rules apply if the puck moves up the wall closer to the dots, though in those scenarios, the strong-side winger may activate to create pressure while the center provides support coverage low.
All of these principles are similar to the strategies Dan Bylsma’s staff deployed, but the difference is in the finer coaching details. Toronto displayed better connectivity and discipline working inside-out. Last year we often saw Kraken players attempting to create turnovers in the corner or at the half wall through individual effort, but this often pulled the team’s structure out of sync, creating gaps. Lambert’s approach creates strong-side pressure with its structure, subtly shifting all players a little more toward the strong side to take away space and passing lanes, while protecting the middle over all else.
The result was Lambert’s Leafs had fewer defensive breakdowns and conceded fewer high-danger slot chances, at least in the games I viewed. If Seattle’s in-zone defense improves in 2025-26 it is likely because this inside-out, connected approach takes hold, particularly with defenders like Jamie Oleksiak, Adam Larsson, and Ryan Lindgren.
One area where Lambert’s approach has evolved over the years is on the penalty kill. “You’re always adjusting. [I]n New York, we were a little bit more of a diamond [formation penalty kill],” Lambert told Sound Of Hockey. The “diamond” formation is the system Seattle has utilized in recent years. Lambert moved away from that in Toronto, utilizing a “triangle and one” (or “wedge and one”) PK.
“There’s a lot of thought and detail that has to go into the penalty kill. And it is based a little bit on personnel and personnel who we have and what the plan is in terms of who’s killing penalties.”
That said, “when I came into the league 14 years ago, and I ran the penalty kill in Nashville… it used to be 19 or 20 percent [conversion rate] was a really good power play. And now 20 percent is the standard,” Lambert explained. “[T]he players are getting more skilled.” So, “last year with Toronto, we needed to have some pressure.” This led Lambert to adopt the triangle and one.
The two defensemen default to positions just above the outer edges of the crease (forming the base of the triangle), and a forward is positioned in the mid-to-high slot (completing the triangle). These defenders form the core of the defense and will look to thwart cross-seam passes and scoring opportunities with active stick checks.
The second forward (the “one” penalty killer) activates in a straight line from the goal toward the opposing player in possession of the puck. The player’s goal is to be in a position to block a shot and then either force the opposing player to concede possession or angle him to a lower-danger portion of the ice.
Since the offense can move the puck via pass more quickly than the “one” skater can reposition to renew his pressure, the forwards are taught to interchange, with the forward at the top of the triangle activating to become the “one” defender if he is closer to the puck while the previous “one” defender backfills the vacated point of the triangle.
Will Lambert utilize the triangle and one in Seattle? It’s an issue to watch when training camp arrives. As Lambert mentioned, penalty kill schemes are selected with an eye toward roster ability. In Toronto, he believed he had forwards better suited to be aggressive at the top of the triangle and one. In Seattle we know that Dave Hakstol’s staff made the opposite decision to move away from the triangle and one scheme in favor of the diamond scheme during the 2022-23 season. Matty Beniers’ defensive skill could be a reason to favor the relatively active triangle and one, but we’ll have wait and see where Lambert’s staff comes down.
Fans may discount it when a coach talks postgame about “toughness,” “discipline,” or “buy-in” as contributing factors to a loss. One might reasonably suspect that there are deeper reasons for a defeat—owing to scheme breakdowns or personnel disadvantages—that are left unsaid. This may be true, in part, but every coach goes into a game with confidence that success will follow the proper implementation of an attack plan. Failure is not always a question of the “science” of gameplay; the “art” matters too.
Today, we discussed some “science”—the defensive schemes Lambert and his staff may deploy. It must be underscored, though, that the “art” of coaching matters with equal measure. The job of the coach is not only to impart fundamentals and scheme, he must mold off-ice approach and on-ice temperament. The best coaches balance these crafts in a volatile alchemy that elevates individual players as a cohesive whole.
Though there were positives, with hindsight we know the 2024-25 Seattle Kraken did not achieve at a level greater than the sum of its parts. To the contrary, despite adding multiple high-priced free agents and enjoying progress from multiple young core pieces, the team remained mired in mediocrity. The vision of the team was never realized.
If Lambert and his staff are going to re-write the story this season, it will be as much about mentality and character as it is about gap control in the neutral-zone forecheck. The schemes discussed in this piece are all widely utilized in the NHL. None will surprise opponents or win games on their own. Success will hinge on how players work within the schemes.
“You set a standard and you don’t deflect from that standard, you don’t deviate from that standard,” Lambert said at his introductory press conference. “It’s an everyday thing. You do the same things every day, repetition, and if something isn’t right, you take care of it. You have to nip it. That is the key to the accountability. You can’t turn a blind eye and let something slide.”
The Kraken are betting structure and accountability will elevate the team this season.
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.
The Seattle Kraken have signed restricted free agent Kaapo Kakko to a three-year, $13.575 million contract, avoiding arbitration just days before his scheduled July 25 hearing. The $4.525 million average annual value will carry Kakko into his prime, setting him up to hit the open market at age 27.
The signing comes as a relief for fans who were growing antsy about the arbitration process, which I previously discussed in a Sound Of Hockey article on July 9.
Kakko was acquired from the New York Rangers during the 2024-25 season after falling out of favor in their top-six forward group. Drafted second overall in 2019, the Finnish winger arrived in Seattle seeking a fresh start and more ice time. He found flashes of both. While his production wasn’t eye-popping, signs of renewed confidence emerged.
Since joining the Kraken, Kakko’s numbers have climbed with the increased opportunity he received. He boosted his full-season scoring pace from 38 points with New York to 50 points in Seattle and tripled his power-play production.
Just as encouraging was his impact on linemates. Consistently skating with Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz, Kakko helped drive up both players’ offensive production.
Beniers’ even-strength goals per game jumped from 0.121 to 0.224 after Kakko’s arrival. He also found new life on the power play, scoring five goals in the final 49 games after netting none in the first 33. While Beniers and Kakko typically skated on separate power-play units, the increased confidence appeared to ripple across situations.
Schwartz saw a similar bump, improving his even-strength goals per game from 0.181 to 0.285 goals per game. Of Kakko’s 20 assists, 14 came on goals by Schwartz (nine goals) or Beniers (five).
This deal signals the Kraken’s belief in Kakko’s continued growth and value as a top-six contributor. He logged heavy minutes after joining the team and appears poised for continued progresssion. The Schwartz–Beniers–Kakko line was the team’s most consistent foward line, logging 459 minutes together—more than double any other forward combination, per moneypuck.com. That’s especially impressive considering Kakko played just 49 games with the Kraken. The Oliver Bjorkstrand–Shane Wright–Eeli Tolvanen trio was next at 189.9 minutes.
Still, player development isn’t always a straight line. At just 24, Kakko still carries untapped upside. His improved numbers—and the boost he gave teammates—suggest Seattle might have landed a player on the rise.
The $4.525 million cap hit represents 4.74 percent of this season’s cap. But with the ceiling projected to rise to $113.5 million by 2027–28, that figure drops to 4.0 percent. In other words, this deal seems like a bargain.
The Kraken are banking on Kakko to continue thriving as a top-six forward, especially after his step forward last season in both production and play-driving. This signing reflects Seattle’s commitment to building around youth and structure.
For comparison, here’s what similar restricted free agents (RFAs) with 45–55 points signed for on contracts beginning in the 2025–26 season:
Locking in Kakko at $4.525 million looks like a discount relative to Slafkovský, Lafrenière, and Coronato. Holmstrom’s deal came in lower but covers fewer years and will expire with RFA status. Kakko is nestled between Coronato and Holmstrom, and it is good to have him under contract for three years.
With Kakko under contract, general manager Jason Botterill can now focus on re-signing defenseman RFA Ryker Evans and exploring trade options to potentially add offense. The Kraken have roughly $7 million in cap space, offering room for additional moves before training camp.
Comment below with your thoughts on the signing and what you think the Kraken’s next move should be.
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.
