Now officially in the Kraken general manager’s chair, Jason Botterill has spent the first half of the non-playing months tinkering with Seattle’s roster—but not overhauling it completely. He acquired forwards Mason Marchment and Freddy Gaudreau, worked some cap voodoo to get Andre Burakovsky’s $27.5 million off the books for only the cost of buying out Joe Veleno at a $796K bargain, and signed veteran defensive defenseman Ryan Lindgren to a four-year, $18 million contract at the opening of free agency.
One thing we heard at Botterill’s “introductory” press conference back in May (I say “introductory” in quotes because Botterill has been with the team since its inaugural season and because that presser doubled as the annual end-of-season “what went wrong?” panel) was that team co-owner and co-chair Samantha Holloway said the organization wants to quickly evolve into a “perennial” playoff contender.
“Everyone at this table is committed to winning,” Holloway said. “Our hockey folks and our staff have worked hard and deserve winning. Our partners and our fans who support us every night deserve winning.”
How does that timeline look? Do the Kraken realistically expect to be back in the postseason in 2025-26? Or are we looking at two or three years down the line?
“To me, it’s just building a culture,” Botterill said. “It’s building a team that our fans know every day what’s going to happen from the production and just the style of play. I think we’re in an industry that focuses on end results. Right now, where we’re at, we can’t focus on end results. [New head coach Lane Lambert has] talked about getting better every day, and that’s what we have to do. I think we have a team right now that’s ready to compete for a playoff spot at the end of the year, but we have some steps that we certainly have to take.”
When I asked former GM Ron Francis that same question at the end-of-year presser following the team’s second season—when the Kraken came up a game short of the Western Conference Final—he was more specific and stated that he wanted the team to make the playoffs again in 2023-24. But the Kraken came up well short of that goal, and now—two head coaches and a front-office shuffle later—the franchise is still trying to recapture the lightning it bottled during the 2022-23 season.
So have the Kraken done enough this offseason to get back into the playoffs? I’m considering that question thanks to some data pulled by John Barr (who will also chime in on this article; we’ll make it clear when it’s him talking and not me).
The changes so far
Darren: On the whole, I like the moves Botterill has made to this point. I do believe improved structure under Lambert will be a better fit than the free-wheeling approach of Dan Bylsma, which calls for more star power than the Kraken had last season.
I also think the three acquired players all bring elements that will make the team better in the specific areas the front office wants to improve—being generally harder to play against—and in varying ways, they fit the mold of players who can help Seattle both get to the slot area in the offensive zone and protect the slot in the defensive zone. Those are good things.
Marchment and Gaudreau also bring some scoring ability, with Marchment notching 22 goals and 25 assists in an injury-shortened 2024-25 season (62 games), while Gaudreau had 18 goals and 19 assists playing up and down the lineup in Minnesota.
Are those adds, plus the shutdown talents of Lindgren, enough to get Seattle back in playoff contention? My gut says no.
John: I’ve shared some analysis before that suggests teams should aim for a positive goal differential if they want a solid shot at making the playoffs. I use a metric I call adjusted goal differential, which I define as: goals for minus empty-net goals for minus goals against minus empty-net goals against. More simply, it’s goal differential but without empty-netters.
Historically, teams that finish a season with an adjusted goal differential between plus-one and plus-five make the playoffs about 50 percent of the time. Not surprisingly, the odds improve as that number gets higher. For example, teams with an adjusted goal differential between plus-11 and plus-20 make the playoffs roughly 94 percent of the time.
Last season, the Kraken finished with a minus-11 adjusted goal differential, which historically gives a team just about a 10 percent chance of making the playoffs. To even be in the conversation for a playoff spot, they’ll need to find a way to improve that differential by around 12 goals.
Forecasting goals against is tricky, so for the sake of this exercise, we’re going to focus on the “goals for” side of the equation and assume the defense performs similarly to last season (I know, there is hope the team will improve in its own end next season). Let’s take a look at how this offseason’s roster changes might help close that gap.
This is obviously a simplified look at how the major roster changes could impact goal scoring, but on paper, the team has lost two goals from last season. We could also factor in the potential boost from a full season of Kaapo Kakko or the possibility of Jani Nyman and Berkly Catton cracking the lineup this fall. But to keep things conservative, let’s assume the offseason moves didn’t significantly move the needle on goal production.
Darren: That doesn’t look all that encouraging. I do think Shane Wright could be a big producer this season, and Matty Beniers was better in the second half with Kakko on his wing, so there’s a chance the team gets an uptick in scoring from those two as well. But I agree—no offseason acquisition has pushed the team over the hump of playoff contention.
Can the Kraken still improve this offseason?
Darren: At this stage, I’m still wondering if the Kraken are done for the offseason. My heart says they’re not done, and I’m still holding out hope they’ll swing a big move before training camp, but my brain says they’re going to get into the season and see what they have. I hate what my brain is telling me on that front, because after seeing John’s breakdown above, I remain convinced they need a top-tier scoring winger to give themselves a sniff of the postseason.
There have been rumors that players like Jordan Kyrou and Jason Robertson could be had (although the Kyrou conversations have likely fizzled now that Kyrou’s full no-movement clause has kicked in), and either of those guys could bring enough improvement to the top six to make the Kraken competitive.
John: As much as I’d love for the Kraken to add a 30-plus goal scorer, just about every team in the league would jump at the chance to get a guy like Kyrou or Robertson. So, in my opinion, it’s not realistic to expect a move like that, simply because there would be a ton of competition to land one of those players. Plus, bringing in someone at that level would likely cost you one of your better NHL players, so the net impact might not be as big as it seems. I think it’s much more likely the team adds a depth winger as insurance in case Jani Nyman or Berkly Catton aren’t quite ready to make the jump.
Darren: Yeah, this is back to the heart-versus-brain argument. Again, my heart tells me they should do something like that, but my brain knows better.
What say you, folks? Are they done and willing to (likely) miss the playoffs again—perhaps to give themselves a chance to win the draft lottery and generational talent Gavin McKenna? Or is there a big swing on the horizon?
On this episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, the guys hold their last prospect interview from Seattle Kraken Development Camp, this time with Andrei Loshko. Loshko has taken a very interesting path so far from Belarus to multiple different junior leagues. Fun interview.
Also in this episode, Darren gets personally attacked via a 5-star review, plenty of Kraken updates and discussion about the schedule being released, and then updates from around the league .
Segments include Weekly One-Timers and What’s Good?
The Seattle Kraken’s offseason is in full swing, and while attention has (rightfully) been on the draft, trades, and free agency, I always look forward to the release of the NHL regular-season schedule. And as I do every year, I also like to dig into the numbers behind the calendar to see how the Kraken’s path through the season stacks up against the rest of the league.
Let’s dive into a few key metrics.
Travel distance by NHL team
As expected, teams based out west tend to rack up more airline miles over the course of the season. The Kraken have consistently been among the top 10 teams in this category, and the 2025-26 season is no exception.
In total, the Kraken will travel 43,361 miles this season—that’s down just over 5,000 miles from last year. That’s still a hefty chunk of sky time, but it’s hardly unexpected.
Here’s a breakdown by division:
As usual, the Pacific Division continues to dominate the “Most Frequent Flyer Miles” standings.
Number of road trips
One benefit of being geographically isolated from the eastern clusters: fewer, but longer, road trips. The Kraken are set to take just 14 road trips this season, one more than last year.
Longer trips usually mean tougher stretches, but fewer turnarounds and less overall bouncing around. It’s a tradeoff, but one the Kraken are used to navigating by now.
The Olympic break effect
This year’s schedule has a unique wrinkle, a February break for the Winter Olympics, with no NHL games from Feb. 6 to Feb. 24. That gap creates a compressed schedule, especially in January.
The Kraken will play 17 games in January, which will be the most the team has ever played in a single month.
Excluding February, here is the average days between games by month for all teams.
Back-to-back games
Seattle will play 13 back-to-backs this season, up one from last year and right around the league average of 13.4.
I hate to bring it up, but the Kraken were 0-12-0 on the second night of back-to-backs last season. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse… mathematically, it actually could. They were the only team in the league to fail to earn even a single standings point in those games. Let’s hope that improves dramatically this year.
Odds and ends of the 2025-26 Kraken schedule
For only the second time in franchise history, the Kraken will open the season at home—against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Oct. 9.
The opening stretch is going to be tough. After just three games, the team heads out on a six-game road trip. Eight of Seattle’s first 10 games are against playoff teams from last season. Oof.
Thankfully, November looks a bit softer, with two games each against the rebuilding Blackhawks and Sharks. But let’s not forget what happened last season…
The Kraken have 10 Saturday home games this year, the most common day of the week for home games. Thursdays are next. They have just one Friday night home game, Jan. 23 vs. Anaheim.
Mark your calendars: Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde return to Climate Pledge Arena with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 17. It will be their first game back since they were moved at the NHL Trade Deadline this past season.
Looking for a road trip? That Montreal–Ottawa–Toronto swing in the second week of the season could be a great one: three arenas, and weather shouldn’t be an issue yet.
You could also knock off both Southern California teams with two separate back-to-back sets in December and February—Anaheim and L.A. in one go.
And if you’re staying local for Thanksgiving, you’re in luck; Seattle will host the Stars the night before Turkey Day and then face the Oilers in a Saturday matinee.
Bonus scheduling fun: There appears to be just one Sunday when both the Seahawks and Kraken are at home. On Dec. 14, the Seahawks host the Colts at 1:25 p.m., and the Kraken drop the puck against the Sabres at 5 p.m. Three of Seattle’s four Sunday home games will be 5 p.m. starts.
Along with the Kraken, Thunderbirds, and Silvertips, the Pacific Northwest hockey calendar will be even more packed this season with the arrival of PWHL Seattle. If the PWHL follows a similar cadence as past years, their regular season will start in late November and run through early May—plus, they’ll have the Olympic break to navigate, too.
Final thoughts
The Kraken schedule always comes with its share of challenges, and 2025-26 is no exception. With Olympic-induced calendar compression and those ever-brutal long-haul trips, the team will need to manage its energy and depth carefully throughout the season and somehow get up for those second games of a back-to-back.
As always, I’d love to hear from you. Are there any home games you’re already targeting? Have your eye on a specific road trip? Let me know in the comments.
On July 6, the NHL and NHLPA announced they had agreed to a new four-year deal extending their labor agreement through the 2029-30 season. The new agreement contains a number of league-wide changes scheduled to take effect in the 2026-27 season. For example, NHL teams will play 84 regular-season games, instead of 82, and will be subject to a salary cap in the playoffs.
Digging a bit deeper, the Seattle Kraken will reckon with many subtler impacts. For example, 2025 first-round pick Jake O’Brien will likely get a development opportunity his elder teammate Berkly Catton did not. John Hayden’s contract will look a bit different 14 months from now. And there will be an important new deadline in contract extension negotiations with Shane Wright next summer.
Let’s get into all of it, starting with the basics. What is the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and what does it do? Then we’ll get into the sides’ recent agreement, what’s in it, and some big picture thoughts on what it means for the Kraken and the league moving forward.
The CBA explained
The CBA is a contract between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association containing requirements, limitations, and other terms on NHL teams’ employment of NHL players.
The CBA reaches into many business and strategic aspects of the game. For example, it covers scheduling and work limitations (number of games, training camp length, etc.), player compensation (revenue split, the salary cap, length and minimum/maximum requirements of player contracts, etc.), and player rights (the draft, entry-level contracts, free agency rules, assignments to other leagues, etc.).
On the other hand, with some limited exceptions, the CBA typically does not reach on-ice matters or gameplay. Those matters are covered by separate agreements, including an official NHL Rulebook issued annually.
The current CBA became effective as of Feb. 15, 2013. Originally it was due to expire on Sept. 15, 2022. The NHL and NHLPA extended the CBA by four years under a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (“2020 MOU”). As modified by the 2020 MOU, the CBA was then due to expire on Sept. 15, 2026.
The recent July 6 announcement concerned the NHL and NHLPA’s approval of a second Memorandum of Understanding, dated June 27, 2025 (“2025 MOU”). This agreement extends the existing agreements through Sept. 15, 2030.
First and foremost, this assures five more seasons without a bargaining-related play disruption—whether a strike or lockout. This is a win for the fans. What else is in the 2025 MOU? Let’s look into that now.
Regular season and preseason schedule adjustments
Beginning with the 2026-27 season, NHL teams will play 84 games, up from the 82-game schedule of recent years. The change will allow for “balanced” scheduling, with each of the 32 teams playing non-conference teams twice (home and away), in-conference, non-division teams three times, and in-division teams four times (two home and two away). For the owners, this balance is likely an incidental benefit to a revenue-focused change.
To partially mitigate the added burden, new restrictions on the preseason and training camp will arrive simultaneously. At least two preseason games will be eliminated from the schedule, with each team allowed to play a maximum of four preseason games total. Players with 100 or more NHL games played will be limited to two preseason games.
Players who played in at least 50 NHL games the preceding regular season will be required to participate in no more 13 training camp practice days. Training camp is limited to 18 days for all other players.
Kraken takeaways:Adding two games to ensure a balanced in-division schedule is good in one way: The Kraken should be playing Vancouver twice at home and twice on the road each season.
Otherwise, I have reservations about making a training camp schedule that already feels quite brief even shorter. This will be felt most acutely by teams with new coaching staffs. On the other hand, I don’t mind dispatching with a couple preseason games—particularly in conjunction with rules that limit veteran participation and guarantee there will still be opportunities for prospects to play on the big stage.
More matchups with Tyler Myers and the Vancouver Canucks are on tap. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Long-term injury cap relief changes in the regular season
Under the existing rules, if a team’s player is expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 calendar days due to injury or illness, the team is afforded the option of “long-term” injury cap relief, allowing the team to add player salary and bonuses to the roster up to the amount of the injured and unavailable player. This allows teams to exceed the salary cap that would otherwise apply while the player is out.
Example No. 1: Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Edmonton Oilers have $93,187,500 in annualized cap commitments and $2,312,500 in annualized cap space under the $95.5 million salary cap with 12 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies on the roster. Assume Zach Hyman qualified with a long-term injury on Day 1 of the season.
Scenario A: If the team made no other moves beforehand, it would be able to replace Hyman’s $5.5 million salary as follows: $2,312,500 of any replacement player(s) would go into the available cap space and the team would be able to exceed the cap by $3,187,500.
Scenario B: If the team added a $2 million forward to the roster before putting Hyman on long-term injury, reducing the team’s available cap space to $312,500, it would enter the season with even more potential total cap relief: only $312,500 of any replacement players would go into the team’s available cap space, and the team could exceed the cap by $5,187,500 moving forward.
When combined with the absence of a salary cap in the playoffs, this rule created an unintended—and much-discussed—incentive for teams to sit out players who might be healthy enough to return earlier during the regular season until the playoffs while taking advantage of the cap relief to add another player. This would give the team the benefit of being able to play both players in the cap-free playoff environment.
The new agreement closes that loophole in two ways beginning with the 2026-27 season. The first adjustment comes during the regular season. In the event of a long-term injury, the team will get relief equal to the lower of (1) the player’s cap hit or (2) the average annualized salary of an NHL player from the prior year.
Example No. 2: Going into the 2026-2027 season, a player with a $5.5 million cap hit qualifies for long-term injury on a team that has $103 million in cap commitments and $1 million in cap space below the projected $104 million cap. Assuming the average salary from the 2024-25 season was $3.25 million, the team would get $3.25 million for player replacements while the injured player is unavailable. In this example $1 million would go into the team’s available cap space, and the team could exceed the cap by $2.25 million.
Example No. 3: Same setup as example No. 2, except the injured player’s contract has a $1.5 million cap hit. In this scenario, the new agreement does not change the calculation method at all because the player’s cap hit is lower than the prior season’s average player contract. If the team utilized long-term injury, $1 million in replacement player salary would go into the team’s existing cap and the team could exceed the cap by $500,000 of annualized cap hit.
There is one exception to this rule: If the NHL and NHLPA agree the severity of a player’s injury or illness justifies it, they may allow a team relief equal to the player’s full cap hit. If a team is afforded such relief, the injured player is deemed ineligible to play that season, whether in the regular season or the playoffs.
Salary cap coming to the NHL Playoffs
The second change geared toward closing the LTIR loophole is to impose a salary cap during the playoffs beginning with the 2026-27 season.
How does this work? On the day a team is to play its first NHL playoff game—by 3:00 pm local time or five hours before puck drop, whichever is earlier—the team must submit a “playing roster” of 18 skaters and two goalies to the NHL Central Registry. The annualized cap hits of those on the “playing roster” must be at or below the league salary cap—as adjusted for the specific team due to bonus overages, buyouts, or trade retentions applicable to that season. The team can then make adjustments to its “playing roster,” if it wants to do so, within the same timeframe before any ensuing playoff game. (If a player becomes unavailable to play after a “playing roster” is due but before gametime, the team can replace that player provided it notifies the NHL Central Registry as soon as possible.)
In theory, a team can maintain a full playoff roster that is over the cap, provided the 20-player “playing roster” is cap compliant. On the one hand, this new procedure prevents a team from circumventing the cap during the season with long-term injury shenanigans only to load up its lineup during the playoffs (i.e., Mark Stone or Nikita Kucherov magically being ready to play on the first day of the postseason). On the other hand, it may prevent teams from engaging in the more standard (and accepted) practice of accruing cap space early in the season to acquire additional salary at the trade deadline for a run into the playoffs.
Accordingly, the 2025 MOU requires the parties to “meet and confer” after the 2026-27 season playoffs to determine if adjustments to this playoff cap rule are necessary to avoid unintended consequences.
NHL player contract changes
The new agreement also provides for a number of NHL player contract-related changes. Under the current rules, a player can sign an extension with his own team for a maximum term of eight years or sign with any team during free agency for a maximum term of seven years. Under the new agreement, going into effect on Sept. 16, 2026, players will be limited to seven-year terms on extensions and six-year terms in free agency.
Additionally, the minimum NHL salaries will increase each season from the current level of $775,000:
2026-27: $850,000
2027-28: $900,000
2028-29: $950,000
2029-30: $1 million
A player on an NHL contract cannot receive a salary less than the minimum for the relevant league year, even if he signed a multi-year contract previously that provided for a lower salary. Accordingly, some low-salary contracts will be revised upward beginning with the 2026-27 season.
The minimum salary increases will also result in corresponding increases to the sums that can be removed from the NHL cap sheet by assigning a player contract to the AHL:
2026-27: $1,225,000
2027-28: $1,275,000
2028-29: $1,325,000
2029-30: $1,375,000
Example: If the Seattle Kraken were to assign Tye Kartye and his $1.25 million average annual value contract to the AHL on opening day in the 2026-27 season, $1.225 million of that amount would come off of Seattle’s cap hit, with only a $25,000 annualized cap charge remaining.
The new agreement also restricts teams from certain unique payment structures. “Deferred” compensation arrangements—where players receive a portion of their pay after the fact—will be prohibited. Likewise, new rules limiting the front-loading of contracts and shifting too much contract value into signing bonuses will also go into effect before the 2026-27 season.
Finally, teams will not be allowed to reduce their salary cap obligations on a player contract by moving players off the NHL roster to the minor leagues without any intent that the player actually report to the AHL team and play a game. This practice—called a “paper transaction”—will be forbidden beginning with the 2026-27 season. If a player is reassigned such that the player misses a day of NHL time, the player must actually report to the minor league team and a play a game before being recalled. (This will not affect players sent down and recalled on trade deadline day with the intent of making those players eligible for the AHL playoffs.)
Kraken takeaways: The Seattle Kraken will have at least one notable young player eligible for a contract extension next offseason: Shane Wright. Until Sept. 15, 2026, the team will be able to sign Wright to an eight-year extension. Any extension signed after that date would be capped at seven years. Might this give the team and player added incentive and a new deadline to strike a long-term arrangement?
The rising NHL salary minimums will also result in John Hayden’s 2026-2027 salary being revised upward from $775,000 to $850,000. His cap hit will rise correspondingly. Even so, the new sum could still be buried in the AHL without cap consequence.
John Hayden is due a salary bump. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
NHL Draft and player development changes
As it stands currently, an NHL team holds exclusive negotiating rights to a drafted player for differing periods of time based on the league from which the player is being drafted. Under the new agreement, the right-retention regime will be simplified and (mostly) harmonized.
Beginning with the 2027 draft, NHL teams will hold exclusive rights to players drafted in their age 18 year (i.e. first-time draft eligible players) for four years. NHL teams will hold exclusive negotiating rights for players drafted in their age 19 year or later (i.e., re-entry players) for three years. The exception for college students will continue, however, with NHL teams holding exclusive rights beyond the time period that would ordinarily apply until 30 days after the drafted player is finished with his college hockey career.
Separately, the new agreement will likely change a key player development rule. Under existing agreements, NHL teams could not assign players drafted out of the CHL directly to the AHL without first offering them back to their CHL teams until the player’s age 20 season. This left NHL teams with a juniors-or-NHL choice for many 19-year-old players who would have likely benefited from an intermediate step.
Under the new agreement, the NHL and NHLPA agreed that beginning in the 2026-27 season, one 19-year-old player per NHL team drafted out of the CHL can be assigned directly to the AHL. Importantly, this rule change will require agreement from the CHL in the form of an amendment to the CHL Transfer Agreement. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic has recently reported that these conversations have happened, and the CHL has been receptive to the change this time around.
Kraken takeaways: After drafting advanced, skilled CHL forwards at the top of the 2022 and 2024 NHL Drafts, the Kraken have been frustrated by the rule preventing CHL players younger than 20 years old from playing in the AHL for a few years now. As a 19-year-old, Berkly Catton will face an NHL-or-juniors inflection point this fall, as Wright did previously.
In contrast, the 18-year-old Jake O’Brien may be the first Kraken prospect to receive the benefit of this rule next summer—assuming his development goes as hoped in the interim. O’Brien already signed his NHL entry-level contract, which rules out the NCAA ranks as a development option for him. Before this rule change, he would have been in the same position Catton is in now. Instead, the path to the AHL is open for him.
Is Jake O’Brien headed to Coachella Valley in 2026? (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Concluding thoughts
There are more pragmatic changes and fixes in the new agreement too—from full-time, club-employed emergency backup goalies to mandatory neck protection, off-season on-ice work with skills coaches (if player initiated), new streamlined procedures for submitting no-trade lists, and one additional post-trade-deadline player recall. With the salary cap rising again and enough wealth to share between the owners and the players, the focus in the 2025 MOU seemed to be on addressing problem areas.
One change—mandating that 75 calendar days elapse between two clubs retaining salary on the same player contract in consecutive trades—is a bit of a head scratcher. Setting that one aside, though, the new agreement contains a number of sensible, incremental improvements that will be significant for the Kraken and teams across the league soon.
* * *
Which CBA changes stand out to you? Do you have any other CBA or contract-related questions? Reach out to us in the comments below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.
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 Sound Of Hockey prospect interview series carries on as the guys interview Caden Price and Kaden Hammell on this latest episode. Fun conversations with both.
Also, lots of Development Camp thoughts and RFA updates, then eventually a BIG game of catch-up on what has happened around the NHL the last couple weeks.
As discussed on the episode, if you’d like to donate to Darren’s bike adventure to benefit the MS Society of Minnesota, click here! Thanks for considering. 🙂
It happens every offseason—restricted free agents file for arbitration, and fanbases panic. In the case of the Seattle Kraken, forward Kaapo Kakko has filed for arbitration, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to do so. However, no Kraken player has ever made it to an actual arbitration hearing. Each has instead found common ground and signed a contract beforehand.
So, what does the arbitration process entail, and what does this mean for Kakko and the Kraken?
Requirements for arbitration
Arbitration is a mechanism that allows a neutral third party to determine a fair contract when the team and player can’t agree. Each side presents their case—each limited to 90 minutes—and within 48 hours, the arbitrator issues a binding ruling on the player’s salary.
The result is a one- or two-year deal at a salary determined by the arbitrator. The team, if it did not file, gets to choose the term. The exception is if the player is one year away from unrestricted free agency; in that case, only a one-year deal can be awarded. Kakko is one year away from being a UFA, so if his negotiation gets all the way to a hearing, the arbitrator will award a one-year deal.
The ruling is final, unless the award exceeds $4.85 million for the 2025 season. If it does, the team can walk away, making the player an unrestricted free agent. This threshold adjusts annually.
Who is eligible?
A player’s eligibility for arbitration depends on his age upon signing his entry-level deal and how many professional seasons he has accrued. For players who signed at age 18 or 19, a professional season is counted if he plays 10 or more NHL games. At age 20 and older, it’s 10 or more games in any pro league (NHL, AHL, ECHL, or top overseas leagues).
Here’s the breakdown:
Age 18-20 signed contract
4 professional years
Age 21 signed contract
3 professional years
Age 22-23 signed contract
2 professional years
Age 24+ signed contract
1 professional year
Who can file and when?
Both players and teams can file for arbitration, though it’s far more common for players to do so. Players must file by July 5 at 5 p.m. ET.
Teams have two windows to file:
June 15 through 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final.
July 5 at 5 p.m. through July 6 at 5 p.m., if the player did not file.
For a team to file, the player’s previous base salary (not average annual value) must exceed $2.43 million (per PuckPedia, as of 2025). Teams may use this route if they wish to avoid issuing a qualifying offer at the player’s prior salary. Through arbitration, a salary reduction is possible, with the maximum decrease capped at 15 percent. It also blocks the player from signing an offer sheet. The Buffalo Sabres just used this strategy with Bowen Byram.
Once a filing is made, a hearing date is scheduled between July 20 and August 4. Contract negotiations can continue right up to the hearing, but once it begins, both sides must abide by the arbitrator’s ruling.
Most never reach a hearing
Despite the headlines, arbitration hearings are rare. Since Seattle entered the league in 2021-22, 60 players have filed for arbitration:
2022: 23 filed, 1 hearing
2023: 23 filed, 3 hearings
2024: 14 filed, 1 hearing
That’s just five hearings out of 60 filings. The rest were resolved with signed contracts ahead of time. This season, 11 players have filed for arbitration.
Kaapo Kakko celebrates a goal with his Kraken teammates. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Kakko’s unique situation
Kaapo Kakko’s case is more complex than past Kraken arbitration filings. His negotiation comes at a unique intersection of three key factors:
NHL salary cap jump
The cap is set to rise from $88 million to $95.5 million next season, then to $104 million in 2026-27, and again to $113.5 million in 2027. This makes short-term deals more appealing to players who want to cash in later. But there’s risk—contracts are guaranteed, but a major injury on a one-year deal can derail a payday.
Production and potential
Kakko tallied 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 49 games with Seattle after his midseason acquisition from the New York Rangers and has shown good chemistry with Matty Beniers. That projects to a 50-point season over a full schedule. At age 24, Kakko may prefer to bet on himself, aiming to boost his value heading into his prime years. Seattle, meanwhile, is likely to make an offer aligned with his current production rather than anticipated growth.
UFA status
If Kakko signs a one-year deal, he keeps his path open to unrestricted free agency. That doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to leave Seattle, but it gives him flexibility and leverage.
In March, I previewed RFA expectations for the Kraken. Kakko’s case stood out then—and even with his arbitration filing, my expectations and predictions remain unchanged.
Potential outcomes
Here are three realistic outcomes for Kakko’s contract:
Longer-term deal – Five years at $6 million AAV
Short bridge deal – One or two years at $5 million AAV
Arbitration hearing – One-year deal awarded in the $4 million to $4.5 million range
Technically, Seattle could sign Kakko for up to eight years, but that would take him through age 32. A five-year deal would expire when he’s 29, allowing him to cash in once more when he’s still in his prime and likely able to land another significant contract.
Final thoughts
Arbitration filings sound dramatic, but they’re often just a step in the negotiation dance. Most cases settle before a hearing, and both sides move on.
Still, the process can be awkward. During hearings, teams must point out a player’s flaws to justify their stance—comments that can linger long after the deal is done.
For fans, it’s easy to worry, but there’s no need to panic. This is just part of doing business in the NHL offseason. Negotiations take time—and patience is key.
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.
The Seattle Kraken made two subtle (but notable) roster moves this offseason that could have a sneaky impact on a part of the game that hasn’t historically been a strength for the team: the penalty kill. Frédérick Gaudreau, acquired via trade from Minnesota, and Ryan Lindgren, signed in free agency after splitting last season between the Rangers and Avalanche, were both key penalty killers for their previous teams.
The state of the Kraken penalty kill
Let’s be honest, the Kraken have never had a good penalty kill. In their four NHL seasons, they’ve never finished higher than 79 percent on their PK success rate, and they’ve consistently been in the bottom half of the league. Last season, they ended at 77.2 percent, which ranked 21st overall.
To their credit, the Kraken haven’t taken many penalties and were shorthanded just 193 times last season, fifth fewest in the league. But even with a lower volume, the efficiency still wasn’t good enough. It was clear the penalty kill needed attention this offseason.
And then came the trade deadline, when Seattle shipped out two of their top penalty-killing forwards: Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev. In the games Gourde played, he was on the ice for over 40 percent of the Kraken’s shorthanded time. Tanev played a whopping 60 percent of the PK minutes when healthy. That’s a huge chunk of the unit gone.
To close out the season, the Kraken leaned on a mix of Chandler Stephenson, Eeli Tolvanen, Matty Beniers, and Jared McCann to pick up the slack. But it was clear they needed a more permanent solution, and that’s where Gaudreau fits in.
Why Gaudreau matters: face-offs and flexibility
One of the sneakier aspects of the Gaudreau trade is what it means for penalty kill face-offs, especially on the right side of the ice. Until now, the Kraken have primarily relied on left-shot centers on the PK, which creates a strong-side/weak-side imbalance. A lefty takes draws better on the left dot; a righty does better on the right. That small edge matters, especially on the penalty kill when a clean face-off win can lead to an instant clear. (For more background on this topic, check this post about the face-off scenarios from 2023.)
With Gaudreau, the Kraken now have a right-shot PK center for the first time in a while. Yes, Mitchell Stephens played a few games last season, but the team has been lacking a consistent right-shot option. Gaudreau gives them the ability to deploy by specific dot, which should help them win more defensive-zone draws and the subsequent possession that will lead to more zone clears. That, in turn, leads to more time killed.
Here’s a look at the defensive-zone shorthanded face-off numbers for Gaudreau and Stephenson:
Expect Stephenson’s workload to shift to fewer weak-side draws next season, while Gaudreau will handle a majority of the right dot responsibilities, which is Stephenson’s weak side.
Ryan Lindgren impact on the penalty kill
The Kraken’s only major free-agent signing was 27-year-old defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who inked a four-year deal worth $4.5M AAV. Lindgren brings a strong defensive presence with a propensity to killing penalties, having played 53.8 percent of New York’s shorthanded time before being traded to Colorado.
He’s known for blocking shots, making smart reads, and absorbing minutes on the PK. After he left the Rangers, their PK numbers took a noticeable dip, which tells you something about his impact.
Seattle leaned heavily on Jamie Oleksiak and Adam Larsson last season. Both were on the ice for over 70 percent of the team’s shorthanded minutes. Lindgren’s arrival could help lighten that load, especially for Oleksiak, or it could signal a shift in usage as the team rebalances its D pairs.
Either way, Lindgren should help make the Kraken’s PK more effective and more sustainable over an 82-game season.
Big picture impact
Zooming out, I always like to look at net goal differential as a shorthand for playoff potential. That’s goals for minus goals against, excluding empty-netters. In general, teams with a positive net differential tend to make the playoffs. Last season, only the Rangers missed the playoffs despite a positive net differential, and a couple teams with negative differentials still snuck in.
So, what’s the potential impact of a better penalty kill?
Let’s say the Kraken improve from 77.2 percent to 80 percent PK efficiency this season, and they’re shorthanded the same 193 times. That translates to 5.4 fewer goals against over the season. It doesn’t sound like much, but in a tight playoff race, that can be the difference between golfing in April and grabbing a Wild Card spot.
Final thoughts
The Kraken have not made a splashy move this summer, but they made smart ones. The additions of Frédérick Gaudreau and Ryan Lindgren quietly patch one of the holes in Seattle’s roster, the penalty kill. The moves did not garner massive headlines, but they will help win games. Plus, the cost was cheap, and with draft capital and cap space, Seattle still has doors open elsewhere.
I am not suggesting that the upgrades in the penalty kill will get this team in playoff contention, but if they are going to play meaningful games in March, they are going to need contributions and improvements from a lot of places. The penalty kill is one of those areas of opportunity.
The NHL’s annual mad dash from the Stanley Cup Final to the July 4th holiday has ended. While there is still business being transacted, things have cooled off following a chaotic two-week fever dream that included the NHL Draft, free agency, Development Camps, the first buyout window, qualifying restricted free agents, and—just to keep things interesting—a slew of trades.
With things settling down, this feels like a good time to empty the Kraken Notebook and bring you up to speed on what has transpired for Seattle over the past fortnight.
Philipp Grubauer is staying
This is relatively old news, and although we talked about it on last week’s Sound Of Hockey Podcast, I haven’t written about it yet. So, here’s the update: Philipp Grubauer is staying with the Seattle Kraken.
Jason Botterill just confirmed that Philipp Grubauer will be back next season. #SeaKraken
After a gruelingly long Day 1 of the NHL Draft, Kraken general manager Jason Botterill was asked point blank by Glenn Dreyfuss if Grubauer would be back next season following much speculation both locally and nationally that he would be bought out of the last two years of his contract.
Here’s what Botterill said:
“Yeah, Philipp will be part of our group here, for sure, and we’ll continue to work on different things on— obviously, we brought in Colin [Zulienello] to be our goalie coach moving forward here. We are going to have different things to work on from that standpoint. We’ll continue to look at different ways we can improve the team in front of [the goalies]. I think it’s one of the things that Lane [Lambert] has talked a lot about as a head coach is making sure that we play strong in front of them, and we’ll continue to look at different ways to improve our goaltending position with both Joey and Philipp.
“It’s a situation that— people sometimes think that if you buy a player out, it just automatically goes away. There’s still a cap hit and stuff from that standpoint. And we believe Philipp can bounce back from that situation, and we think there’s an opportunity still for success here.”
A month ago, I was certain Seattle would find a way to move on from Grubauer and his $5.9 million cap hit over the next two seasons. Coming off the worst season of his career, in which he went 8-17-1 with a 3.49 goals-against average and .875 save percentage and even landed in AHL Coachella Valley for a stretch, it seemed to me there was no way Seattle could bring him back.
But once the team fired goalie coach Steve Briere and replaced him with Firebirds goalie coach Colin Zulienello, signs were suddenly pointing toward the relationship with Grubauer continuing. After all, when Grubauer returned from his stint in CV at the end of last season, he spoke glowingly of his time working with Zulienello, while also taking a few pot shots (at least I thought they were pot shots) at Briere and former head coach Dan Bylsma for their communication and the way they were deploying Grubauer in net. Promoting a goalie coach that Grubauer clearly likes indicated that he could end up sticking around. Lo and behold, Grubauer remains with the team.
Financially speaking, if the team had bought Grubauer out, then he would have still counted for $1.98 million in 2025-26 and $3.08 million in 2026-27. Then, the team would have had two additional penalty years of $1.68 million per season in 2027-28 and 2028-29. So what Botterill said about that side of the decision is true.
But the optics are still difficult when you consider just how tough of a season Grubauer had. The Kraken want to portray to the fanbase that they are looking to become a perennial playoff contender, yet they’re running it back with a goalie who couldn’t even be relied upon in the second of back-to-backs last season while making $5.9 million.
I don’t believe the front office is blind to said optics, though. Where I think the decision to keep Grubauer (and instead replace the goalie coach) was really made was when the market for free-agent goalies started to develop. Plain and simple, there were no worthwhile goalies on the market. The best option was Jake Allen, who ended up re-signing in New Jersey anyway, so he wasn’t even really available. Beyond that, guys like David Rittich, Dan Vladar, and Alex Lyon were the only ones getting signed as backups, and none of those strike me as massive upgrades over Grubauer.
In fairness to Grubauer, he did look a lot better when he got back from the AHL at the end of last season, and he was excellent at the IIHF World Championship for Team Germany, going 2-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and .930 save percentage. Maybe that carries over into next season?
I do also want to call out that Grubauer remains an extremely easy guy to root for, continuing to make Seattle his summer home and even appearing at Kraken Development Camp last week to help prospect Visa Vedenpää and the other invitee goalies that were there. It would be really nice to see him bounce back and finally put together the type of season that made us think the Kraken had hit the jackpot when they signed him in 2021.
Here’s hoping he sticks it to me and all the other media people that incorrectly predicted the Kraken would buy him out.
Development Camp thoughts
Speaking of Vedenpää, he was awesome in the Stucky Cup scrimmage on Thursday, backstopping Team Blue to a 4-3 comeback win over Team White. Vedenpää, the only drafted goalie in attendance, played the whole game and made a bunch of big-time stops, while the three camp invitees rotated through Team White’s net.
Vedenpää, 20, had a tough season in Finland, missing most of the year with an undisclosed health issue.
“With Visa, we’re so proud of this kid,” Kraken former (more on that in a bit) director of player development Jeff Tambellini said. “He dealt with some tough health issues throughout the year, missed the whole back half. He was supposed to be one of the goaltenders for Team Finland at World Juniors, so for him to make the comeback, get in a game, play that well in front of all our fans, for us, that’s a 10 out of 10 day.”
Unsurprisingly, Berkly Catton also jumped off the page at Dev Camp, looking lightyears ahead of some of the other players in attendance. It’s important to remember that he’s facing other very young players in that setting, but for a 19-year-old looking to make the jump from the WHL to the NHL in a few months, you want to see progression, and you want him to stand out from the pack. He definitely accomplished that. He’s faster and stronger than last summer, he’s mature well beyond his years, and the way he floats across the ice gives a real “NHL-ready” vibe.
Blake Fiddler – The 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenseman that the Kraken traded up to get in the second round looks like a real player. He’s remarkably smooth for his size and seems to handle the puck well. He also told us in his interview on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast that he’s “still growing.”
Jake O’Brien – O’Brien got a little too cute with the puck a couple times in the Stucky Cup, but he also showed flashes of the elite skill that made him worthy of the No. 8 overall pick in the draft. He’s very shifty and has fantastic playmaking vision. It will be fun to see how he progresses in the OHL this next season. Botterill walked out on the ice at halftime of the scrimmage and had O’Brien sign his entry-level contract in front of the many attending fans.
Caden Price – The 19-year-old defenseman who got traded from Kelowna to Lethbridge in the WHL this past season was flying under the radar as a prospect for a while. But he ended up playing a big role for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, and he placed first in fitness testing this past week and looked great on the ice. Keep an eye on him over the next season or two…
Ben MacDonald – As a 21-year-old college player, MacDonald was on the older end of the Dev Camp spectrum. Still, he was notable with his play in the Stucky Cup and even his practice performances. He looked strong and fast and set up a highlight-reel goal in the scrimmage by spinning off a check in the corner and finding an open teammate in the slot.
Reese Hamilton – Hamilton is not a Kraken prospect but was invited to camp after going undrafted last week. He had an impressive 16-year-old season for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL with eight goals and 23 assists in 42 games but then went pretty quiet in his 17 season with just 14 total points (4-10=14) in 59 games split across the Hitmen and Regina Pats. But Hamilton caught my eye a bunch of times at Dev Camp and got called out by both Tyson Jugnauth and Tambellini as a player they both thought should have been drafted. Hamilton will go back into the draft next year, but he’s a player to monitor.
“To get a Reese Hamilton into camp, a player that at the start of the year was being talked about in the first or second round, and we get a free look at him here,” Tambellini said. “From our standpoint, that’s fantastic. So we’re looking at them all differently. Again, different timelines, but always great when you get a player that you don’t expect to get to camp.”
Tambellini moving on
Speaking of Tambellini, news broke Monday morning that he has been hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning as an assistant general manager. Selfishly, we’re devastated by this news, because Tambellini did an awesome job in his role for the Kraken, and working with him was an absolute delight. That said, many congrats to “Tambo,” and we wish him the very best in his new role.
RFA updates
Last week, the Kraken extended qualifying offers to all three of their restricted free agents, Kaapo Kakko, Ryker Evans, and Tye Kartye. They then signed Kartye to a two-year deal with a $1.25 million cap hit. That’s a fine number and a nice payday for the depth forward who was signed as an undrafted free agent and worked his way up through the ranks to become a full-time NHLer with the Kraken.
Kakko filed for arbitration on Saturday. That doesn’t necessarily mean there will be an abitration hearing. Indeed, parties more frequently agree to a new deal before the hearing, which will be scheduled to happen between July 20 and August 4. It does guarantee that, one way or another, a deal will get done with Kakko. It also eliminates the possibility of him signing an offer sheet with another team. If this does end in a hearing, the neutral arbitrator will award a one-year contract, after which Kakko will be an unrestricted free agent.
Arbitration hearings are contentious and can really tarnish a team’s relationship with a player. Plus, the Kraken surely want to lock Kakko up for longer than one year, so it behooves Seattle to get something done before this gets to a hearing. But from the player’s perspective, he’s also as little as one year away from a massive payday on the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
I believe Kakko likes playing in Seattle, but does he like it enough to sign a longer-term deal in the next couple weeks and forgo his upcoming opportunity to become a UFA?
Are the Kraken done reshaping their roster?
Aside from the trades that brought in Mason Marchment and Freddy Gaudreau and removed Andre Burakovsky (the Kraken did end up buying out Joe Veleno, the return in the Burakovsky trade) and the signing of shutdown defenseman Ryan Lindgren, the Kraken still haven’t made a move that I think puts them back in playoff contention. I believe that—if they do truly want to compete for the postseason next year—they need to add a winger that can reliably score 30-plus goals.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has speculated that the Kraken were considering a trade with the St. Louis Blues for Jordan Kyrou but didn’t pull the trigger. That, to me, fits the bill as exactly the kind of acquisition the Kraken need and also tells me they aren’t opposed to continuing to seek offensive upgrades.
In my reaction to the Lindgren signing, I wrote that the numbers don’t align right now, with five left-shot defensemen in the fold. So is this the roster that Seattle will roll with in 2025-26? Or is there yet a “splashy” acquisition on the horizon, perhaps with a defenseman exiting and a top-six forward entering?
Here’s what Botterill said when I asked him about that at the draft:
“I think there’s 31 other teams that want to make a splasher addition to their roster, and I think you see in other markets, everyone’s trying from that standpoint, for sure. We’ll continue to work on developing our own players internally. We’re excited about some of our young players, excited about a player like Chandler Stephenson being comfortable in this market in his second year. But hey, we continue to have draft capital, continue to have cap space to work on that, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Here’s my updated depth chart projection after adding in Lindgren and removing Veleno. I do not think Jani Nyman and Berkly Catton will play together on the fourth line; it’s just where I think they “stack up” at the moment.
There is room to add a forward and remove a defenseman here…
Vince Dunn // Adam Larsson Ryker Evans // Brandon Montour Ryan Lindgren // Jamie Oleksiak Josh Mahura Ville Ottavainen
Goalies
Joey Daccord Philipp Grubauer Matt Murray
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.
What a fun episode this is! It’s been a massive week in the Kraken sphere, and the Sound Of Hockey Podcast is at Development Camp and ready to bring you up to speed.
In addition to covering all the Kraken-related headlines from this week, the guys also give you two fantastic interviews with Kraken prospects Blake Fiddler and Nathan Villeneuve.
They also talk through how the week’s moves will impact the roster next season and recap the team’s draft strategy.
