The Seattle Kraken officially introduced Lane Lambert as the third head coach in franchise history with a press conference at Kraken Community Iceplex on Monday. Sitting side by side with new general manager Jason Botterill, Lambert said he was “ecstatic” about the opportunity and spoke at length about his plans for getting the Kraken back into contention next season.
“Being a coach in the National Hockey League is a privilege at any level, and being a head coach in the National Hockey League is an honor,” Lambert said. “It’s one of 32 positions, and I’m greatly honored to take this position. So thank you very much.”
Lambert, 60, is set to embark on his second stint as a head coach in the NHL after spending a season and a half as the bench boss of the New York Islanders from 2022-23 until being let go on Jan. 20, 2024. At the time of his firing, the Islanders were outside of the playoff picture but had a “winning” record at 19-15-11 (I say “winning” in quotes because they had lost a lot more than they had won but kept losing in overtime) after returning the Isles to the playoffs the season prior, following a miss in 2021-22. He then returned to an associate head coach role with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, running the defense for head coach Craig Berube.
With the presser, Lambert has officially begun his time as the Kraken coach and got right to work Monday on sharing his vision for the group and his approach. Here are some themes from Lambert’s introduction to Seattle.
Structure and details
Playing a structured style and paying close attention to detail were recurring themes of the presser on Monday. Lambert’s commentary echoed what Botterill has said several times this summer about taking care of the important areas of the ice.
“We’ll be strong structurally, but we will also create offense, and we’ll play fast, we’ll be aggressive, we’ll be at the net in the offensive zone, we’ll shoot pucks,” Lambert said. “These are things that— if you look at the balance and you look at stressing offense or stressing defense, there’s both in there.”
Even in the midst of Seattle’s unsuccessful 35-41-6 season under Dan Bylsma in 2024-25, we could already sense that former GM and now president of hockey ops Ron Francis didn’t like the way the team was playing. Bylsma spoke on several occasions about giving players the freedom to play and make mistakes, a stark departure from how the group went about its business under previous head coach Dave Hakstol. It is now obvious that a coach’s ability to clearly articulate to Francis and Botterill how he would re-tighten the screws—particularly in Seattle’s end of the ice—was paramount in choosing a new coach.
With that in mind, and hearing Lambert and Botterill speak Monday, I understand why Lambert’s approach resonated with Seattle’s front office. His style is more similar to that of Hakstol—a coach who valued structure and detail—than that of Bylsma, who was willing to sacrifice some of that structure to attempt to create offense (though the Kraken really didn’t have the horses to outscore teams).
“Lane’s track record as a really good defensive coach, PK coach, is certainly there,” Botterill said. “And when we started getting into the details of it, we certainly saw that.”
Lambert also spoke about players having accountability and eliminating bad habits before they start.
“You set a standard and you don’t deflect from that standard, you don’t deviate from that standard. 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.”
Lambert has a reputation as a strong defensive-minded coach, so I do believe him when he says the Kraken will have better structure, which will theoretically make them a harder team to beat in 2025-26. Is that enough to get them back into the playoff picture, though? I still think that depends heavily on what kinds of personnel upgrades Botterill is able to make this summer, but Lambert fits the mold of what the front office was seeking.
Helping the young guns along
Another common theme Monday was that the Kraken see a need for a coach who will help their young players—and players coming up in the system—continue to progress once they reach the NHL level.
“It became very evident that Lane presented the attributes that we’re looking for,” Botterill said. “The combination of having a presence and knowledge to work with our veteran players, yet also be dedicated to interact with our young players for our organization to take the next step.”
Botterill clarified that he was specifically speaking about young players who are truly ready for NHL hockey and reminded us that developing junior players and prospects rising through the minor leagues is not Lambert’s job.
“We have young players in the National Hockey League that are clearly National Hockey League players in Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, and Ryker Evans. They’ve proven that they certainly can be here. It’s our job—our staff in Coachella Valley, led by Derek Laxdal, and our player development staff, led by Jeff Tambellini—to now prepare these players to be ready for National Hockey League games so that they’re ready to be inserted into the lineup.”
Still, the goal of this team has always been to build through drafting and developing. With the expectation of adding more young talent this offseason—both from outside the organization and within—this was clearly a focus in the hiring process as well. Potential arrivals of Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, and others reinforce that direction.
Can players like Beniers and Wright become key contributors to a playoff-caliber team next season? Botterill and Francis clearly liked what they heard enough to hand Lambert those reins, though he will still have the support of Jessica Campbell, who Lambert reaffirmed will be back next season and will continue working with the young players.
Will the Kraken win in 2025-26 under Lambert?
It is true that Lambert has consistently been around winning teams, whether that’s as an assistant or associate head coach, and his time on Long Island was cut shorter than he perhaps deserved. And since he was let go, the Islanders haven’t exactly dominated; they ended up making the playoffs after Lambert was fired in 2023-24 but lost 4-1 in the opening round to the Carolina Hurricanes. They then missed the playoffs and finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division this past season, leading to Lou Lamoriello’s ouster.
I did ask Lambert what he learned from his previous head coaching gig and what he would do similarly or differently with Seattle.
“That’s a great question,” Lambert said (I couldn’t agree more… GREAT question). “You go through an experience like that, and you get let go, and you have a lot of time to reflect. And if you don’t have an ego, you can certainly say, ‘Gee, I’d do this a little bit differently, or I’d do that a little bit differently, or I’d do this about the same.’ I mean, from my standpoint, our defensive structure, the identity that we that had, the identity that we played with, I’m proud of that. There’s certain little things that I will look at and look into changing, but at the end of the day, I’m proud of what happened in New York.”
Looking back at how things have played out the last four Kraken seasons, Hakstol built a foundation of a team that played tight, structured hockey that could be competitive even without elite talent. Bylsma took a different approach, one that requires high-end offensive players (that he didn’t have) to be successful, and that didn’t jive with the mindset of the front office. So, now they will get back to having a tighter style of play, one that values defense first and looks to create opportunistic offensive chances.
History has shown (once) that the Kraken can win playing that way, and Lambert has proven he knows how to get players to go along with that strategy. Here’s hoping Botterill can bring in some skaters who will capitalize on the opportunities created by stouter defensive structure.
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One last thought that has been rattling around in my brain over the last week. It’s impossible not to wonder if the Kraken were kicking themselves when news broke that Pete DeBoer had been fired by the Dallas Stars on Friday, one day after they announced Lambert as their hire.
But even if that news had broken a couple of days earlier, I’m not convinced DeBoer would have considered Seattle as his next landing spot, when he will surely have opportunities with teams on the precipice of winning in the near future. And who knows? Maybe the Stars were intentionally waiting to fire DeBoer until every vacancy had been filled (Pittsburgh was the other remaining open job, which had also just been filled by Dan Muse). Why they would do that, I’m not exactly sure, but the timing of DeBoer’s firing is interesting.
Regardless, that ship has sailed, and the Kraken will march ahead with Lambert. If we remove DeBoer from the conversation completely (since he really wasn’t expected to ever be a part of it), I think it is safe to say Lambert fits perfectly into the vision that Francis and Botterill have for the organization.
Will that vision finally start working in 2025-26?
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.
It’s no secret the Seattle Kraken’s future hinges on the growth of two young centers: Matty Beniers and Shane Wright. Both were high draft picks expected to become cornerstone players, and while their development paths have looked very different so far, each offers plenty of intrigue for fans playing the long game. Beniers jumped straight into a top-six role, won the Calder Trophy, and then, like many young NHLers, hit a bit of turbulence in his second season. Wright, meanwhile, has taken the scenic route, with some starts and stops in the AHL, World Juniors, and limited NHL time, leaving some fans wondering where exactly he stacks up against his peers.
So where are these two trending? And how do they compare to players drafted in similar spots? Let’s take a look at some early production metrics, with the full understanding that player development is anything but a straight line.
Data and methodology
Before we dive in, a quick note on how we’re measuring things. For this piece, we’re sticking to some good ol’ hockey basics: goals scored, points per game (PPG), and average time on ice (TOI). These are straightforward, digestible stats that give us a snapshot of how Matty Beniers and Shane Wright are progressing so far in their young NHL careers.
Now, we fully acknowledge there are far more advanced ways to evaluate player performance, things like expected goals, possession metrics, other impact models, and more. And those tools absolutely have value. But for this early career comparison, we’re keeping it simple. Why? Because sometimes it’s helpful to start with the surface-level numbers before diving into the more technical aspects of evaluation. These are the stats fans know, broadcasters talk about, and young players often get judged by (fair or not).
To create a relevant group of comparable players, I looked only at centers who made their NHL debut since the 2010–11 season and played 50 or more games before turning 21 years old. Breaking it down: 578 centers have debuted since 2010–11, but just 80 have hit that 50-game mark before their 21st birthday. With a few exceptions, this filter effectively narrows the list to the NHL’s best young centers over the past decade-plus, so even being average in this group is still very good.
It’s also worth noting that I’m not factoring in draft position for this analysis. While expectations are obviously higher for top picks, the goal here is to understand the kind of trajectory Beniers and Wright are on, regardless of the expectations attached to where they were drafted.
This isn’t a perfect science, of course. Player development is messy, and everyone’s timeline is a little different. Some guys get top-line minutes from day one; others marinate in the AHL or get eased in more slowly. But hopefully, this gives us a rough idea of where things stand today—and maybe where they’re headed next.
The analysis
Beniers has played 249 career regular-season games, and Wright has played 95. To look at different stages of development, I’ve broken the analysis into 50-game segments and used rate stats (like per-game production) where appropriate. This avoids nitpicking things like the one game Matty is short of a full 250, or Shane being five games shy of a full 100. The idea is to look at trends, not obsess over perfect math.
Points per game
The first metric we’ll look at is points per game. The visual I’m using is a box plot that shows the distribution among the 80 centers who met the criteria. The box plot breaks the data into quartiles, which helps us get a sense of where players fall relative to their peers.
As you might expect, Matty came out flying, his points-per-game metric in his first 50 NHL games was outstanding, with only a handful of centers posting better production. In games 51–100, though, his output dipped closer to the median of the peer group. That decline continued in the 101–150 segment, landing Matty in the second quartile. It’s worth pointing out that now that he’s in the 201-250 range, he’s still one of the younger players in that dataset.
To add context, I pulled the names of the five centers directly above and below Matty’s points per game in the 201–250 segment to see the types of players he’s grouped with.
Based on that group, you could argue there’s some reason to doubt if Matty will become the bona fide No. 1 center we all envisioned after his rookie season. But there are a few top-line guys in that range, so it’s certainly still in play.
Conversely, Shane’s points-per-game numbers in his first 50 games sit just above the average for this peer group. Then, in the next 45 games (remember, he’s only played 95 total), his production climbs close to the top quartile. It’s too early to throw a parade, but the trajectory is encouraging, especially when you see names like Sebastian Aho, Sam Reinhart, Robert Thomas, and Leon Draisaitl showing up around him.
Goals per game
Next up: goals per game, using the same box plot format.
Matty’s trend here mirrors what we saw with points per game. There’s a noticeable dip after his first 50 games, but an encouraging uptick in the 201–250 segment, where he jumps to the top of the third quartile. This recent bump in goal scoring also aligns with the arrival of Kaapo Kakko, giving him more offensive support.
Shane’s goals-per-game trend is similarly encouraging. He tracks a little higher than Matty in both of his segments, which is another good sign that he’s making the most of his limited minutes so far.
Time on ice per game
Out of curiosity, I also looked at average time on ice per game. This isn’t a perfect stat, since it doesn’t account for quality of minutes, special teams usage, or game situations, but it can be a loose indicator of how much trust a player has earned from the coaching staff.
What jumps out immediately is how low Shane’s ice time has been compared to Matty’s. We know Beniers has solid defensive metrics, which naturally makes him a candidate for more ice time in high-leverage situations—like when the Kraken are trying to protect a lead.
Under head coach Dan Bylsma, we saw late-game center deployments lean heavily on Chandler Stephenson, Yanni Gourde, and Beniers. That kind of trust doesn’t come overnight, and it shows where Matty stands in the pecking order.
Some key observations
Matty Beniers’ early career arc is actually pretty typical for young NHL centers. He burst onto the scene with a great first 50 games, but his production dipped in the 101–200 range—something we’ve seen from a lot of young players adjusting to more responsibilities. The recent jump in goal scoring in games 201–250 is a good sign that he might be finding his groove again, especially with more consistent linemates and offensive-zone usage.
Shane Wright’s trajectory is subtle but encouraging. While his overall NHL experience is limited, his per-game production puts him in strong company. The fact that he’s already tracking above average in points and goals in this peer group suggests there’s real upside here.
Usage really matters. Wright’s low ice time is the biggest contextual flag in this entire analysis. Less time means fewer opportunities to score, but it also reflects how the team is bringing him along—deliberately and patiently. Meanwhile, Beniers has been leaned on in all situations from the start.
Limitations of the analysis
Let’s be real for a second; no single stat (or even a bundle of them) can tell the whole story of a young player’s development. Ice time quality, linemates, team systems, special teams roles, none of that is captured in simple rate stats. Some guys get sheltered early, others get thrown into the deep end, some stick right away, and others bounce around before finding their footing.
And of course, development is not linear. A dip in production doesn’t necessarily mean regression; it might mean a new role, a rough patch, or just the natural learning curve of playing in the best league in the world.
The point of this analysis isn’t to define a player’s ceiling, it’s to offer a snapshot of how things are trending.
Wright and Beniers continuing on different paths
For a team still building its identity and core, having two young centers like Matty Beniers and Shane Wright developing side by side is a pretty good place to be.
The numbers tell us their paths are different; Matty got the fast start and is working through a midstream recalibration, while Shane had the slower start but is showing a clear upward trend. Both are holding their own among the NHL’s best young centers at this stage of their respective careers.
Whether either of them becomes a true first-line center is still an open question. But the foundation is there, and there’s every reason to believe that both players can be big parts of the Kraken’s long-term success.
Now that the dust has settled on the Kraken hiring Lane Lambert as their head coach, the guys give their full reactions after only getting in a few brief considerations last week.
Also, they dig deep into Curtis’s story from this week that predicted what will be the list of priorities for the Kraken this offseason.
Finally, plenty of PWHL Seattle talk, as the that team continues to build out its star-studded inaugural roster.
Segments include Weekly One-Timers and What’s Good?
Last week, we made the case that the Seattle Kraken have seven offseason priorities on the player personnel side that the team will look to address in free agency or through trades (or perhaps offer sheets?). In the days since that post, the Kraken stayed active, filling one of those needs by re-signing defenseman Josh Mahura to a two-year, $907,500 average annual value contract. The team also bolstered its depth by inking restricted free agent forward Ben Meyers to a one-year, $775,000 minimum contract.
What other opportunities in free agency and on the trade market will Seattle be considering? In today’s second part of our offseason feature, we’ll look at some candidates using Evolving Hockey‘s contract prediction model as a stand-in for market value.
Priority No. 1: The splash move
Seattle Kraken general manager Jason Botterill has noted that there is not much depth at the top of the 2025 unrestricted free agent market and implied that the Kraken would be hard at work on the trade front. That said, he conceded it is hard to know early in the offseason what trade conversations will actually materialize. Of course, it’s even more difficult for us to predict on the outside of those front-office conversations. Even so, here’s a list of unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents, and potential trade targets—deduced by logic or reports, usually both—that intrigue us.
We divided the list into four parts: “stars,” “first liners,” “rising young players,” and “veteran producers.”
Darren Brown shared in-depth thoughts on Mitch Marner last week. In short, while he’s not overly physical and more of a playmaker than a scorer, he is an elite talent, the likes of which rarely get to the open market. Seattle should be willing to go to an uncomfortable place contractually to acquire him. Unfortunately, I suspect Seattle may not be appealing to the player. (I devoted more of my thinking to the ways in which Seattle might be able to take advantage of Marner landing elsewhere.) The Jason Robertson case deserves separate treatment, and I’ll return to it at the end of this article.
There have been some rumors circulating that Martin Necas may prefer to land on a new team. I’m not sure I buy it. The system fits for Necas in Colorado, he has a good chance to win, and Colorado has incentive to pay him to “salvage” the Mikko Rantanen deal. That said, Wednesday’s Brock Nelson re-signing arched my eyebrow a bit. Necas is a talented offensive play driver with ties to members of the Seattle front office from mutual time in Carolina.
I went back and forth on including unrestricted free agent Nikolaj Ehlers as a target. I’m a believer in the talent, but he will command a seven-year deal, which means a team will be paying for an age 36 season—and on a price tag that could easily clear $10 million AAV given the scarcity of other top-end options. I’d be wary, but I can’t completely rule it out if his market comes in a bit lower than that. Similar to Marner, he doesn’t solve Seattle’s “issues,” but he carries enough talent to look past that.
The tier of players just below Ehlers, including players like Brock Boeser, John Tavares, or Sam Bennett, is the real danger zone in this market where the cost could get too high to offset the question marks. (Brock Nelson is in this tier and recently signed for $7.5 million AAV.) Absent an unexpected value, I’d steer clear of this area of free agency. Boeser, in particular, feels like a potential “fit,” but one I have real concerns about. Could it work out in the end if Seattle went that direction? Absolutely. But it’s not on my preferred list of options.
Marco Rossi is rumored to be on the market, as he and Minnesota are not seeing eye to eye on his next contract. Supposedly, Rossi wants a contract in the neighborhood of seven years, $7 million annually—which will be a middle-six deal in short order—but Minnesota isn’t convinced he has earned that yet. Rossi is a small-but-sturdy playmaker from the center position, unafraid to go to the middle of the ice, and with good play-driving impacts. I’ve considered if he could be a good line pairing with Chandler Stephenson—each compensating for the other in some ways.
For his part, J.J. Peterka is rumored to be unhappy in Buffalo (along with much of the remainder of the Sabres roster). He brings more of a dynamic speed, playmaking, and finishing package, with some shortcomings physically and on defense. There’s talk he could be an offer sheet target if the Sabres don’t work out a deal soon. His probable contract on an offer sheet sets the framework for the requested compensation parameters in a trade (first- and third-round picks). Even if the price is bid up slightly from there, Seattle has the assets to close that deal and should be involved.
One might have included Gabe Vilardi or Matthew Knies as targets in this category as well, but I didn’t consider them realistically attainable for the purposes of this exercise.
These moves may not qualify as a “splash,” though any of them could be considered a top-line player in Seattle. In particular, I like the idea of prying away Alex Tuch—another reportedly unhappy Sabre. He drives play with his physicality and his ability to get to the middle of the ice. He fits the mold of what Botterill says he is seeking. The downside is Tuch is signed for only one more season before unrestricted free agency, and the team would be looking at an extension starting in the player’s age 30 year.
If Vegas makes a splash in free agency (say, Marner?), it will likely need to subtract a useful piece or two. William Karlsson would be a good player for Seattle to catch on the cheap in that scenario, even though he is entering his post-prime years. Jonathan Marchessault is also a consideration on favorable terms only given his contract and age.
Priority No. 2: Restricted free agents
As we discussed in Part 1, these contracts are in the right neighborhood for Seattle to sign today, though we’d be open to a longer deal for Kakko. The Kraken started in on this to-do list item by signing Meyers earlier this week.
Kaapo Kakko (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Priority No. 3: Backup goalie
Assuming the team separates from Philipp Grubauer this offseason, one way or another, the team needs to add a capable NHL veteran who can pick up approximately 20 to 30 starts. Nikke Kokko had a good season in the AHL, but I don’t like the idea of rushing him into any NHL role at his age and experience level. One more season (or more) in Coachella Valley makes sense.
The best options in Seattle’s projected price range are Jake Allen, 34, and Alex Lyon, 32, and both are predicted to land multi-year deals according to Evolving Hockey. Both check in with approximately .900 save percentages over the last three seasons, though above-average numbers for goals saved above expected. Allen’s predicted two-year term is preferable. David Rittich, 32, is a top option predicted to land a one-year contract.
Priority No. 4: Top-nine winger
Trent Frederic rose on my free agent targets list the more Seattle spoke about prioritizing net-front play. He is the rare winger whose two-way playdriving value mostly comes from his willingness to work inside. Anthony Mantha is a big-framed winger with great playdriving analytics, but he is coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL in November, 2024, and it is unclear if he will be healthy to begin the season. There’s risk there but also the potential for huge value at Evolving Hockey‘s projection.
Andrew Mangiapane is smaller, but works well to the inside and gets many of his shots there. If his market is a bit weaker than anticipated, he could be a good pickup. (Fans may not like the option, though, given his history with the Kraken.) Victor Olofsson doesn’t bring the physical element but could be a value add, depending on Seattle’s other moves, for an underrated potential 20-goal scorer.
Priority No. 5: Third-pair defenseman
After our first post was published, the team addressed this need by signing our top target Josh Mahura. Mahura sat first on our board because his fit in Seattle and with the other players in the dressing room was established this past season. The deal represents strong value for the two-year term, with Evolving Hockey projecting $1.3 million AAV for a deal of that length. That said, even if the team also retains restricted free agent Cale Fleury, there could be room to add yet another depth defenseman with NHL experience.
The blue line in Coachella Valley lacks a veteran presence at the moment, with both Gustav Olofsson and Maxim Lajoie heading toward unrestricted free agency. Without another experienced player at the top of the depth chart, the group skews very young:
Even with Fleury, Coachella Valley projects to have only four of a possible six “veteran” status players. A No. 1 AHL defenseman who provides NHL depth would be a good add. Caleb Jones, a 27-year-old, left-shot blueliner with 248 games of NHL experience, could be an ideal fit on a one-year deal at or just above the league minimum.
Priority No. 6: Fourth-line center
This is the point in the list where needs downshift, and the team can be more patient and prioritize value. John Hayden, Ben Meyers, and Mitchell Stephens represent enviable center depth. In an ideal world, though, the team has a more established fourth-line center. Czech-born Radek Faksa has strong defensive impacts and is elite on the face-off dot. Nico Sturm’s profile skews a bit more toward offense, but he is also good on the dot. The goal is a one-year contract.
Priority No.7: Fourth-line winger
I’d be in favor of retaining Mikey Eyssimont, but this is a position where there is (understandably) significant depth in the free agent class. Seattle is best served waiting out the market and avoiding a bidding war. Ideally, this would be another one-year contract, near league minimum.
Bonus: An opportunistic move?
If the team wanted to layer in a defenseman above Josh Mahura who still has upside, right-shot Nick Perbix is a good target. He has size (6-foot-4), is a younger free agent (27 years old), and is a solid-average skater per NHL Edge. Perbix has learned in a good organization in Tampa Bay, and, most importantly, his on-ice impacts (in an admittedly sheltered role) are quite strong, per HockeyViz and Evolving Hockey. Jalen Chatfield was my preferred “defenseman nobody is talking about” heading into free agency last year, but he ended up re-upping with a smart organization in Carolina before he made it to free agency. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens with Perbix. If he gets to free agency and other moves don’t work out, he’s a name I have circled as an “opportunistic” add at Evolving Hockey‘s projected price tag.
Isaac Howard is another interesting player currently associated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The unsigned former first-round pick excelled as a goal scorer at Michigan State last season but seems unlikely to sign with the Lightning after some burned bridges there. Ideally, he may not be ready to step into a full-time NHL role right away, but there’s a strong chance he’s a middle-six scorer within a year. I’m unsure there’s a fit in Seattle, though, because he’d likely want a guaranteed NHL role before signing, if a trade from Tampa Bay materializes.
Similarly, Nicholas Robertson is a player we’ve discussed on Sound Of Hockey before as a player with some talent who might be able to do more with a bigger role outside of Toronto. Again, I’m not sure of the fit with the Kraken unless the acquisition is in conjunction with other moves.
I was a big advocate for signing center Pius Suter two years ago as a hedge against losing Yanni Gourde and/or Alex Wennberg. He ended up sitting on the market for a long time before Vancouver picked him up on a bargain-basement two-year, $1.6 million AAV deal. We know how the center position has worked out for Seattle since then. For his part, Suter is entering free agency again, and, according to reports out of Vancouver, is looking for a deal north of $4 million AAV. This doesn’t make sense for Seattle unless they move one of their top three on the depth chart, but he’s still a good player at that price if other dominoes fall.
Speaking of Chandler Stephenson—who says no if Seattle and Vancouver discussed a one-for-one swap of Stephenson (and his six years, $6.25 million AAV) for Elias Pettersson (7 years, $11.6 million AAV)? I suspect both teams say no, but I admit I’ve thought about it more than once. Pettersson could be the cheapest “star” on the trade market if he regains his form, but his last year on and off the ice, along with Vancouver’s willingness to consider parting with him, are red flags that are tough to shake, particularly given his contract.
The Jason Robertson scenario
Finally, a word on Jason Robertson. His name entered the rumor mill on Monday with Jeff Marek speculating about his availability. Dallas is tight against the 2025-26 salary cap with only eight forwards signed, so it is not beyond belief that the team would consider moving one of its bigger pricetag players like Robertson, as even local coverage has speculated. (Marek has also suggested Dallas would like to sign free-agent, right-shot defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who will come with a significant salary.) On the other hand, 25-year-old point-per-game players rarely shake free, which makes this one a longshot.
Jason Robertson (Photo/Brian Liesse)
That said, if Dallas answers the phone on Robertson, this is the type of conversation Seattle should be prioritizing above any other.
Of course, a trade for Robertson would mean Seattle won a bidding war. The winger has only one year remaining at $7.75 million AAV, but he would still be a restricted free agent after that. Robertson is a regular-season star by any metric you could pick. He has, at times, drawn criticism for underwhelming in the playoffs, but his playoff scoring numbers are actually fine. Robertson is worthy of an uncomfortable “overpay,” and any player or asset should be on the table. (Shane Wright is the only close call on whether or not I would include him in a trade.)
Dallas could use some combination of (1) multiple entry-level-contract forwards with realistic near-term, top-nine potential, (2) a young, right-shot defenseman, and (3) high-end draft capital, since the team has only one first-round pick in the next four drafts. Dallas could also use the cap space that would be afforded by moving out an underperforming blueliner, like Matt Dumba or Ilya Lyubushkin.
Seattle has the draft capital to offer Dallas, with six first-rounders in the the next four drafts. It also has the cap space to absorb an additional bad contract.
On the other hand, the Kraken may not have the defenseman to offer unless a third team were involved (what would it take to get the Devils to part with Simon Nemec?). Ryker Evans, a left-shot, could work as a key piece, though he may be relatively more valuable to Seattle’s depth chart than he would be in Dallas.
In terms of forwards on ELC’s who are ready to contribute, Jani Nyman fits the bill. Parting with Nyman would be painful but may be necessary in a deal like this, particularly if Evans is not in it. Wright fits the description too, of course, but the package gets too costly, in my opinion, if Seattle is including him with other significant pieces. (Could Seattle get Isaac Howard out of his contract dispute in Tampa Bay for Seattle’s 2025 second-round pick and flip him to Dallas as part of a deal?) Eeli Tolvanen could be an additional piece of interest to Dallas, given his value contract for a 20-goal scorer.
* * *
If you’re the Kraken, do you bite the bullet and do a deal that sends one or more first-round draft picks and either Evans and a cheap top-nine forward or multiple cheap top-nine forwards for Jason Robertson? Or do you prefer a measured move for a top-six forward like the options set forth above? If not Robertson or the others, who would you like to the Kraken to go after?
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.
General manager of the PWHL Seattle franchise, Meghan Turner, faces probably the most critical stretch of her professional sports career as she shapes the foundation of her new team’s inaugural roster in the PWHL Expansion Draft. With a mix of high-stakes deadlines and strategic decisions looming, Turner and her Vancouver counterpart, Cara Gardner Morey, are officially on the clock as the Professional Women’s Hockey League enters expansion mode.
PWHL Expansion Draft timeline and rules
The path to building Seattle’s first-ever professional women’s hockey team begins with a three-phase process that will unfold over the span of just one week:
Tuesday, June 3: Protected player lists due
By 9 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, the six original PWHL franchises must submit a list of three protected players. These players must be either under contract for the 2025–26 season or have their playing rights held through that season. Once a team loses two players, whether through early free agency or the Expansion Draft, it will be allowed to protect a fourth player.
Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 8: Exclusive free agency window
From Wednesday morning through Sunday afternoon, both PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver will have an exclusive window to sign up to five unprotected or unsigned free agents from the original six teams. There’s no minimum number of signings required, but the ability to lock in a big free agent player ahead of the draft gives both expansion teams an edge at approaching the top available free agents.
Monday, June 9: Expansion Draft (5:30 p.m. Pacific)
The final milestone of the expansion window is the actual Expansion Draft itself, where each of the two new clubs will select a minimum of seven players, ultimately reaching 12-player rosters in total, including their free-agent signees. If one team signs fewer players than the other during the exclusive window, it will receive additional picks during the draft to reach parity. The selection order has not yet been announced.
This expansion structure ensures that every inaugural PWHL team will lose two players and that several standout talents will be exposed. Compared to the Seattle Kraken’s entry into the NHL in 2021, this PWHL expansion features added complexity: two teams drafting simultaneously. That dynamic will force Seattle and Vancouver to be strategic not only about whom they select, but also when they select each player.
Projecting the protected lists
To better understand which players may be available to Seattle, I reviewed predictions and analysis from respected women’s hockey media outlets, including The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy, The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian, The Ice Garden, and Melissa Burgess’ Substack. These journalists have provided outstanding coverage of the league since its inception and offer informed perspectives on who each team is likely to protect.
I’ve watched a lot of PWHL and international games featuring these players but not nearly enough to provide my own evaluations of these players. Please check out these outlets and put them on a regular rotation.
Boston Fleet
Last week, it looked like Hilary Knight and Aerin Frankel were close to locks to be protected by the Fleet, with either Alina Müller or Megan Keller likely rounding out the third and final protected slot. But then Ian Kennedy tweeted this over the weekend…
The one item unconfirmed here is if Boston has protected Megan Keller. It’s possible Knight and Muller are both protected, but it’s not sounding that way. https://t.co/6C77fRVQkU
I’ve got to say, launching a U.S. franchise with an iconic Team USA name like Hilary Knight would be incredible—and could definitely help sway more fans into becoming season ticket holders.
Here’s a look at Boston’s Expansion Draft-eligible players and their 2024–25 season stat lines.
Minnesota Frost
Fresh off their second Walter Cup championship, the Frost are facing some tough decisions that could break up their title-winning squad. Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein seem like locks to be protected. After that, they’ll have to choose between Taylor Heise, Sophie Jaques, and goalie Nicole Hensley.
Here’s a look at Minnesota’s Expansion Draft-eligible players.
Montreal Victoire
The best team from the 2024–25 regular season will have a really tough choice ahead: which of four world-class players to leave exposed. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Marie-Philip Poulin and Ann-Renée Desbiens aren’t protected, which likely means one of Laura Stacey or Cayla Barnes will be exposed. Either Vancouver or Seattle could walk away with a franchise cornerstone from Montreal.
Here’s a look at Montreal’s Expansion Draft-eligible players.
New York Sirens
The Sirens have finished last in both PWHL seasons so far. But despite that, they still have some intriguing players who will be left unprotected. Sarah Fillier is close to a lock. After her, goalie Corinne Schroeder is probably next in line; she posted a 10–8–1 record despite New York’s struggles and faced the most shots per game of any goalie in the league at 28.9. After Fillier and Schroeder, New York will likely have to choose between forward Alex Carpenter and defenseman Ella Shelton.
Here’s a look at New York’s Expansion Draft-eligible players.
Ottawa Charge
Ottawa has a tough decision to make in net. Emerance Mashmeyer is one of the top Canadian goalies in the league, but after she went down with an injury in early March, Gwyneth Philips stepped in and led the team into the playoffs. Philips never gave the net back and stayed hot all the way through the Walter Cup Playoffs, earning the Ilana Kloss Award as playoff MVP. Philips is now likely to be protected, as is forward Emily Clark. After that, there are several players who could make a strong case for the third protected slot.
Here’s a look at Ottawa’s Expansion Draft-eligible players.
Toronto Sceptres
Of all the teams, I’m probably most intrigued by Toronto’s protection list. Sarah Nurse, Daryl Watts, Blayre Turnbull, Renata Fast, and goaltender Kristen Campbell are all strong candidates—but only three can be protected on Tuesday. All five could be part of Team Canada’s Olympic roster for Milan-Cortina next winter. Both Watts and Nurse are from the Greater Toronto Area, and I can’t imagine they’d be thrilled about heading west if they end up exposed and drafted.
Here’s a look at Toronto’s Expansion Draft-eligible players.
Excitement builds
As we get closer to having an actual team, anticipation is growing among Seattle hockey fans eager to see which stars will don the PWHL Seattle jersey for the very first time. Based on the projected list of available players, Meghan Turner has a chance to build a competitive roster right out of the gate.
This will be a fun week for hockey fans in Seattle.
The Seattle Kraken answered one of their biggest offseason questions on Thursday when they announced that Lane Lambert had been hired to become the third head coach in franchise history. We expect Lambert to be formally introduced to the market next week, so we will surely have more coverage of the hiring coming down the pike, in addition to what John Barr published on Thursday. So, stay tuned for more on that front.
While we were waiting for that major personnel decision, we also got to thinking about how newly appointed general manager Jason Botterill can improve his team’s on-ice performance this offseason. Curtis Isacke laid out what he thinks should be the team’s top priorities in a fantastic piece from Wednesday, so give that a read if you haven’t.
In his end-of-season press conference, Botterill alluded to seeking more players (and a coach, for that matter) who can help the team get to the front of the net in the offensive end and do a better job of protecting that same area in the defensive zone. To us at Sound Of Hockey, this screams more Jaden Schwartz-types, but also younger.
Adding one or more players like that—a tall task in and of itself—should make the team more competitive, but it likely won’t be enough on its own. As has been the case since the team’s inception, there remains an obvious dearth of star power at the top of Seattle’s lineup. There still is no one player who can—when the chips are down—put the team on his back and go get the desperately needed goal, even when he’s not having his best night or the team looks like it’s skating in quicksand.
How do the Kraken get such a player? One route requires patience: drafting and developing. Seattle has drafted well over its first four years, and it is possible that a home-grown forward like Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, or Berkly Catton could grow into a star offensive producer. But if that comes to fruition for any of the three, it will still take at least a couple of years—and in the case of Catton, he’s likely four or more seasons from becoming a reliable scorer at the NHL level.
It’s no secret the organization wants to become competitive immediately, though, so how can the front office expedite its improvement? Well, the other routes are through trade, free agency, or the rarely executed offer sheet. The Kraken made a couple of splashy signings last summer in Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour, and they could look to do that again this summer. The free agent class is relatively thin, but it is buoyed by one big-time, elite winger highlighting the top of the group: Mitch Marner.
At face value, Marner doesn’t even really fit the mold of what the Kraken are purportedly looking for, but landing a player like him would instantly improve the offense. Could they do it? Should they? Let’s investigate.
Mitch Marner is a bona fide star
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team in flux after they were bounced from the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in seven games. In 13 postseason games across two series, Marner was second on the team in scoring with 13 points (2-11=13), behind only William Nylander (6-9=15).
One would think that a hometown product who grew up idolizing the Leafs, led a star-studded roster during the regular season with a whopping 102 points (27-75=102), and then put up a point-per-game in the playoffs would have earned some grace from the Toronto fanbase.
Instead, as the Panthers embarrassed the Maple Leafs for the second time in three games, closing them out with a 6-1 spanking that left Toronto’s fans wanting back the thousands of dollars they spent on Game 7 tickets, Marner was booed. With his contract set to expire after the season, Marner—in what may end up being his final game for his beloved hometown team—was booed by the Maple Leafs fans.
Although Marner’s exit from the so-called “Center of the Hockey Universe” is still not a foregone conclusion—he could still end up re-signing there—calls for change in the market have led to Brendan Shanahan’s ouster as the team’s president, and a desire for a shakeup to the roster could very well lead to a divorce between Marner and the Leafs. Leafs GM Brad Treliving added some fuel to that speculation when he said in his season-end press conference that “there’s some DNA that has to change in our team” this offseason.
Despite the sentiments of the home crowd in Toronto, which seems to have grown tired of the “Core Four” of Auston Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and John Tavares falling short of their sky-high expectations, there is no denying that Marner is a superstar player who will immediately elevate the team that lands him this offseason (assuming he does move).
Marner, 28, was the fourth-overall pick of the Leafs in the 2015 NHL Draft. He quickly emerged as a budding star, scoring 61 points (19-42=61) as a rookie in 2016-17, the same season Matthews debuted and racked up 40 goals and 29 assists. Since then, Marner has done nothing but produce, averaging 1.13 points per game over nine seasons.
2024-25 was Marner’s first time breaching the 100-point mark in a season, though he hit 97 (35-62=97) and 99 (30-69=99) in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Fast, creative, and shifty, Marner—sometimes overshadowed by Matthews for his goal-scoring prowess—is a top talent in the NHL.
What would it take to land Marner?
With more than $20 million in projected cap space and the ability to create more if needed, the Kraken are well positioned to make an offer to Marner that could carry the largest average annual value in NHL history, somewhere in the seven-year, $14 million range. That would put him ahead of Matthews, who currently holds the highest annual salary at $13.25 million.
There’s also suddenly an obvious connection between Marner and the Kraken via the hiring of Lambert, who spent last season as an associate coach for the Leafs. We can’t help but wonder how Lambert’s relationship is with Marner…
The problem is that if Marner does hit the market when free agency opens on July 1, there are many teams in the NHL that will want his services and will be willing to pay out the nose to acquire them. Is Seattle a desirable destination for a player of Marner’s ilk? That remains to be seen. Without being able to position themselves as proven winners, Botterill and the Kraken front office would face an uphill battle in proving to Marner that their vision for the future is one that will bring him sustained success through what could be the remainder of his career.
While most in the NHL laud the Kraken facilities and organization as “first class,” will the massive dollars and promise of future wins (as opposed to past ones) be enough to lure Marner to move 2,500 miles across the continent?
Should the Kraken try to land Marner?
Bad decisions in free agency can kill a franchise and make a front office look silly for years, especially when we’re talking about the level of financial investment and salary cap commitment that Marner will require. Plus, is Marner even really a fit for Seattle? The team has more playmakers than goal scorers, and although Marner has scored 221 goals in his career, this is not his primary skill. He also doesn’t strike me as a guy who’s going to battle his way into the dirty areas at either end of the ice, something Botterill said he wants to focus on adding this offseason.
Those are some reasons why the Kraken may opt to pass on the theoretical Marner sweepstakes, if they even come to fruition. Yet, with all these things in mind, and even with the unlikelihood of Marner coming to the Pacific Northwest, we at Sound Of Hockey still think it’s worth a try.
Marner would be the best player to hit the open market since Artemi Panarin did in 2019, so if the Kraken want to sprinkle in elite talent and make a big step toward contention, this is the fastest way to do it. Mitch Marner types simply do not become available.
What say you, folks? Would you try to sign Marner?
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.
In this episode, the guys do some time warping… They initially recorded on Wednesday night, before the news broke that the Kraken had hired Lane Lambert as their third head coach. HOWEVER, just before they published the episode, John and Darren managed to get some quick thoughts in about the hire before they go back in time and give their opinions on who should be hired BEFORE the news broke.
Also in this episode, plenty of Stanley Cup Playoffs and World Championship talk. Plus, Down on the Farm, PWHL, Weekly One-timers, and What’s Good?
The Seattle Kraken have named Lane Lambert as the third head coach in franchise history, the team announced Thursday. Lambert, 60, brings a wealth of NHL experience to the franchise, both behind the bench and as a former player.
Lambert most recently served as an associate coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2024-25 season, working under head coach Craig Berube. Before that, he held the head coaching role with the New York Islanders for parts of two seasons from 2022-23 through 2023-24. He was replaced by Patrick Roy on January 20, 2024, after compiling a 61-46-20 record (.559 points percentage) in 127 games as the Islanders’ bench boss. At the time of his departure, the Islanders were 19-15-11 (.557), hovering around the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Lambert played 283 NHL games across six seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Quebec Nordiques. Following his playing career, Lambert built an extensive coaching résumé, including a long tenure as an assistant under Barry Trotz with the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. His time in Washington culminated in a Stanley Cup championship in 2018, when he served as an assistant coach during the Capitals’ Stanley Cup run.
Although Lambert does not have extensive ties to the current Seattle Kraken roster, he was part of the Islanders’ coaching staff during the tenure of current Kraken captain Jordan Eberle, who played on Long Island from the 2014-15 to 2020-21 seasons. That existing familiarity could help establish early communication and leadership dynamics as Lambert transitions into lead his new team.
“After conducting an extensive search, we’re thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach,” said Kraken General Manager Jason Botterill in a team statement. “We cast a wide net for suitable candidates. What impressed us throughout the interview process was Lane’s strategy and vision for this team. He was an integral part of the Capitals winning the Cup and the Islanders advancing to two straight Eastern Conference finals. We have full confidence in Lane to lead this team behind the bench.”
Lambert replaces Dan Bylsma, who was relieved of his duties on April 21, 2025, after just one season behind the Kraken bench. Bylsma led the team to a 35-41-6 record, which fell short of expectations, particularly after the team’s two big free agent signings last summer. Bylsma was named head coach last summer, replacing the Kraken’s first head coach, Dave Hakstol, who went 107-112-27. Hakstol coached the Kraken to their first playoff appearance in 2022-23, which included the a first-round playoff series victory over the defending champion Colorado Avalanche.
As the Kraken enter their fifth NHL season, Lambert will be tasked with continuing the development of key young players such as Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, Jani Nyman, and Berkly Catton, while also guiding the team back to playoff contention. With a mix of emerging talent and established veterans, the expectation is not just growth, but meaningful progress toward becoming a consistent postseason threat. Lambert’s ability to balance player development with immediate results will be central to Seattle’s next phase. It is expected Lambert will round out his coaching staff over the next few months.
As Seattle Kraken fandom awaits white smoke rising from the Kraken Community Iceplex signaling the appointment of a new head coach, the front office has been hard at work developing an offseason plan for player acquisition as well. General manager Jason Botterill told Kraken season ticket holders last Thursday that the team had recently completed its pro personnel meetings. The team has its list of free agent and trade targets in hand.
With that work done, the Kraken have been implementing their plans. Botterill indicated that the team has already contacted restricted free agents Kaapo Kakko, Ryker Evans, and Tye Kartye expressing interest in new deals for those players. More concretely, the team re-signed unrestricted free agent forward John Hayden to a two-year, league-minimum deal on Wednesday.
Now, a significant offseason landmark is right around the corner. With the NHL Draft shifting to a “remote” format this year, the 2025 NHL Draft Scouting Combine, which begins on Sunday, June 1, will be the only offseason event that will bring most of the league’s top decision makers together. Many around the league expect that teams will use the combine to discuss potential trades and seek team “permission” to contact pending free agents.
So, the “real” work of offseason is just days away. With that in mind, there is no better time to examine what lies ahead in this critical period. In this part one, we’ll get into where Seattle stands and where its offseason priorities should be. In part two, we’ll return with a look at the options on the market that are both realistically available and intriguing fits to fill Seattle’s needs. We’ll conclude with a “mock offseason” to show one scenario of how these pieces could fit together. Let’s dive in.
Kraken offseason roster status
Assuming, for the moment, that all of Seattle’s young players on entry-level deals—aside from Shane Wright—will be in the AHL or another non-NHL level, the Kraken enter the offseason with $21 million of space under the projected $95.5 million salary cap for 2025-26. They have nine forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies under contract. With an assist from CapWages, here is what Seattle’s salary cap sheet looks like right now.
Forwards Kaapo Kakko, Tye Kartye, and Ben Meyers are restricted free agents, with Kakko and Meyers both being one year away from unrestricted free agency and possessing arbitration rights. On defense, Ryker Evans and Cale Fleury are restricted free agents, with Fleury being one year from unrestricted status and having arbitration rights.
There was some uncertainty publicly about whether Meyers and Fleury would be Group-Six Unrestricted Free Agents given their NHL service time. I can report that is not the case. Each remains a restricted free agent, in Fleury’s case owing to service time rules from the COVID-affected seasons.
Forward Michael Eyssimont is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, as is defenseman Josh Mahura. Several depth pieces are pending unrestricted free agents too, including goalie Ales Stezka and defenseman Gustav Olofsson.
It is also important to remember the pieces the team already subtracted before the trade deadline, when the team shipped out defenseman Will Borgen, and forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde, and Brandon Tanev. Each of those players are NHL-level contributors, with the subtraction of Bjorkstrand in particular being significant for the offense.
Overall this season, Seattle posted middle-of-the-pack overall offensive production (16th of 32 NHL teams in total goals scored) and shooting percentage (14th highest) and did well staying out of the penalty box (fifth-fewest penalty minutes) and avoiding goals against on the power play (second fewest), but struggled in almost every other metric conceivable. Leveraging standard and advanced data from Evolving Hockey, here is where Seattle stacked up in various metrics:
The trade losses are somewhat mitigated going into the offseason by the acquisition of Kakko, but I think it’s fair to say that absent dramatic leaps from Seattle’s young players, the team is in a relatively weaker position now, both offensively and defensively, than it was when Seattle’s lineup was fully healthy early last season.
Looking back, it is easy to recall the preseason narratives. The Kraken would continue to be staunch defensively, buoyed by the addition of Brandon Montour, and would get back to their identity of a relentless, depth-based attack, with few “fourth lines” capable of matching Gourde, Tanev, and Kartye. As we all know, it didn’t work out that way. For example, that intimidating “fourth line” combined for just 47 points all season with Seattle.
So, the Kraken need to add pieces just to get back to this past year’s baseline—a standard that was, itself, disappointing to all involved. Additions on top of that will be necessary to push this team toward contention. No wonder, then, that the team has vowed to be “aggressive” in making roster changes for the second consecutive offseason.
Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Kraken offseason priorities
If we were penciling out a Kraken depth chart today, it might look something like the following. (As a disclaimer, these aren’t projected lines, and I wouldn’t put much stock in the actual order. The goal is just to display the team’s depth.)
Extrapolating from this depth chart, in the context of existing roster performance laid out above, I’ve identified the following seven personnel-related offseason priorities. (For the moment I’ll set aside the two most pressing agenda items, neither of which are personnel-related: Finding a head coach and fixing the defensive approach.)
Priority No. 1: Make a splash move
Under then-general manager Ron Francis, Seattle built a solid base of talent, organizational depth, and upcoming draft capital. Now comes Botterill and the 2025 offseason, and the goals are different. “It’s my job to go out there, whether it’s free agency or making trades, to drop in elite talent,” Botterill said.
This is the top priority. Whatever the position, whatever the means, Seattle’s focus should be on adding a “game-plan player,” a player the opposition needs to account for in their pre-scout; a player that can drag the team back into the game with a single skilled play, even on a night when everything else is going wrong. (No, unfortunately, it is not going to be Daniel Sprong.)
With a solid prospect pool and 10 picks in the first two rounds of the next three drafts, Botterill and the Kraken have the assets to make it happen. That is not the challenge. “You never know what trade is going to come, but we’re going to at least be in the discussion with those [extra first-round picks] moving forward,” Botterill explained.
The challenge is in finding a player that matches the Kraken’s short- and medium-term need. The Kraken are not one player away from a Stanley Cup, and they aren’t one year away from the Stanley Cup either. They need a player who can contribute to a playoff push now and potentially be part of a winning core years down the road. Hypothetically, this could mean targeting a true star player in his late prime years, since even the post-prime years are likely to be useful. More realistically, it means targeting players earlier in their prime window. Botterill told the season ticker holders last week, “We want to continue to add younger players to [the roster] mix in and around Matty [Beniers]’s age.” So, they’re looking for players in the 22-year-old range.
Those assets are rare and difficult to acquire. It is the challenge before them, and it might require an “overpay” to achieve.
Priority No. 2: Retain your restricted free agents
The 2025 offseason depth chart above pencils out as a playable lineup only if the team’s restricted free agents are retained. And I believe there is a solid argument to retain each of them at their market prices. Using Evolving Hockey‘s contract model, here is what it could cost to retain Kakko, Evans, Kartye, Meyers, and Fleury:
There’s a good argument the team should put pen to paper on each of these contracts now if it can. Kakko is 24 years old and only one year from unrestricted free agency. I suspect Kakko’s camp would prefer a shorter deal (getting him to unrestricted free agency sooner) or a much longer one (providing more security), so three years would be something of a compromise. Five years may be the ideal term for Seattle. If the contract were to span five seasons, Evolving Hockey projects a $5,598,000 cap hit. Failing that, the three-year term would be a reasonable outcome, locking in peak years without back-end risk.
Evans may still be an ascending player, but he didn’t show enough in our opinion to commit on a long-term deal at this juncture. A shorter bridge deal that leaves him short of unrestricted free agency at contract’s end—like Evolving Hockey‘s predicted two-year deal would—seems ideal to me. In reality, I suspect it may take $3 million-plus to sign Evans, though.
Each of the other deals are solid for the depth they would provide and could be fully (or almost fully) buried in the AHL if the player is out of the NHL mix. The Kartye contract prediction may be a bit more player-friendly, but the compromise could be a two-year deal in the $1 million average annual value range where the first year has a two-way contract split and the second year is a one-way amount.
Priority No. 3: Find a backup goalie
Seattle’s goalie depth chart looks locked in, but Philipp Grubauer’s struggles may dictate a change. Grubauer’s poor play since signing with Seattle is well chronicled, but it bears emphasis in retrospect. His .890 save percentage over the last four years ranks second-worst of the 53 goalies with at least 100 starts in that span. His -43.13 goals saved above expected and -0.30 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes are both the worst in the league among those 53 goaltenders in the last four years. His tenure with Seattle likely reached a breaking point last season when he was waived and sent to Coachella Valley for a few weeks.
A buyout of the last two years of Grubauer’s contract would save the team $3,916,667 against the cap in 2025-26. That said, the move would be less about saving money—since a quality backup would use much of that space—and more about turning the page in the pursuit of a steady backup for starter Joey Daccord. The intent would be to obtain a player who could provide closer to league average production in the short term while Nikke Kokko and Seattle’s other goaltending prospects continue to develop at other levels.
The window for a buyout opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Finals end, but no earlier than June 15, and it closes on June 30 at 5 p.m. ET. So, we will have an answer whether Seattle will be in the goalie market before free agency begins.
Philipp Grubauer (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Priority No. 4: Acquire a top-nine winger
Looking at the team’s depth chart, there is both the need and the room to add another scoring winger or two. Both Andre Burakovsky and Eeli Tolvanen sit in top-nine roles on the current depth chart. Neither are guaranteed to stay there.
Burakovsky has struggled to provide any offensive or defensive value since an injury derailed him midway through the 2022-23 season. He’s a second buyout candidate if cap space becomes necessary for a splash addition. A buyout would create $3,541,667 in cap space for the 2025-26 season.
For his part, Tolvanen could be a piece the team uses in a trade to acquire a frontline player. His production (23 goals last season), contract ($3.475 million cap hit for one season), and age (26) are likely attractive to other clubs. Even if he stays, his skillset (shooting, hitting, and defense) works up and down the lineup. He’d create competitive, upward pressure on those higher in the lineup and valuable injury insurance if he started the season in a “fourth line” role.
Recently, Botterill spoke about the need to add more physicality at the net front: “[B]ringing in players with a little bit more size like a Kakko or a Jani Nyman, I think will certainly help out. [There just needs to be an] emphasis of getting to the net, being stronger in front of the net there from that standpoint.” Ideally, one of the team’s top additions fits that mold. A top-nine winger signing may be the most realistic way to add that presence.
Priority No. 5: Acquire a third-pair defenseman
The Kraken could retain restricted free agent defenseman Fleury, and I believe the organization remains high on Ville Ottavainen, but neither player (nor Ty Nelson) should be penciled into an NHL lineup without veteran competition. Ideally, the Kraken add a player with NHL experience at a low cost who could be serviceable as a No. 6 defenseman alongside Evans if Fleury or Ottavainen can’t seize the role. Pending unrestricted free agent Mahura fits the mold.
Josh Mahura (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Priority No. 6: Sign a fourth-line center
Similarly, the Kraken could retain restricted free agent center Meyers, and the team has already re-signed Hayden. Those players, along with Mitchell Stephens, provide solid depth down the middle. Similar to the depth defenseman need discussed above, a free agent veteran who could win face-offs and play on the penalty kill would improve the mix and ideally win the job.
Priority No.7: Sign a fourth-line winger
The Kraken want to leave open the possibility that a prospect like Jani Nyman (or Berkly Catton, or Ryan Winterton, or Jacob Melanson) seizes a role in the fall. If a prospect forces his way into the lineup, the depth chart could get crowded, but Seattle still may be a forechecking depth winger short. Pending unrestricted free agent Eyssimont is an example of a player who would fit the need.
Bonus: Continue to be opportunistic
Finally, and this likely goes without saying, the Kraken are not talented enough to look past an opportunity for value even if it doesn’t fit the framework above. For example, suppose a finesse winger like Bjorkstrand is available on the cheap or another team wants to overpay to acquire Tolvanen. The Kraken should be in those conversations too.
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What do you think are the team’s offseason areas of need and priorities? Let us know on X @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on BlueSky @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.
Curtis Isacke
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.
While watching the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and trying to figure out what went wrong for the Seattle Kraken, I noticed something curious. Alternate captain Adam Larsson led the team in plus/minus this past season with a plus-22 rating. That’s not shocking—he’s a mainstay on the top defensive pairing.
What did raise an eyebrow, though, was that his long-time partner, Vince Dunn, finished at minus-3. That’s a 25-point swing between players who spent most of their minutes on the ice together. Adding to the mystery, Brandon Montour—a player many viewed as one of the Kraken’s top contributors—finished dead last on the team at minus-22.
Let’s take a look at how plus/minus is calculated and dig into why the gap between Larsson and Dunn exists.
What is plus/minus?
The plus/minus stat is simple on the surface. A player gets a plus-one when their team scores at even strength or shorthanded while they’re on the ice. They get a minus-one when the opposing team scores under the same conditions.
But not all game situations are equal. Here’s how plus/minus is applied across different scenarios:
Even strength: Includes 5-on-5, 4-on-4, and 3-on-3 play. Players receive a plus for scoring goals and a minus when scored against.
Power play: Players do not earn a plus for scoring on the power play but will receive a minus if the opposing team scores shorthanded.
Penalty kill: Players do not get a minus when scored on while killing a penalty. However, they do get a plus if their team scores shorthanded.
Empty net: Surprisingly, empty-net situations count toward plus/minus as long as both teams are at equal strength in terms of total players (goalies and skaters), and no one is serving a penalty. A player earns a plus for scoring and a minus for allowing a goal, even if a goal is scored into an empty net.
Although plus/minus adjusts for manpower on the ice, it does not account for game context—such as whether a team is trailing and has pulled its goalie.
Larsson vs Dunn: How did the gap grow?
Larsson was one of four Kraken players to appear in all 82 games, joining Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, and Jamie Oleksiak. Dunn missed 20 games due to injury, so we focused this analysis on the 62 games both Larsson and Dunn played.
According to MoneyPuck, Larsson and Dunn spent 928 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time together—by far the most-used defensive pairing for the Kraken this season. In comparison, Montour and Oleksiak were paired for 809 minutes over 73 games.
So how did Larsson and Dunn end up with a 25-point difference in plus/minus?
Breaking it down: four key categories
We reviewed shift charts and sorted plus/minus differences into four categories:
Goalie pulled
Special teams
Line changes
Overtime and other
Goalie pulled
The end-of-game, goalie-pulled situation was the biggest factor in creating the disparity between the defensemen. In the below table, “score with extra man” means the team with six skaters on the ice scored.
Larsson, a defense-first player, is trusted to hold leads late in games. He was on the ice for seven Kraken empty-net goals for (plus-7) and only once was scored on in this scenario (Jan. 20 vs. Buffalo), finishing plus-6.
Dunn, a more offensive-minded blueliner, was deployed when the Kraken needed to tie a game. He was on the ice for 13 empty-net goals against (minus-13) but helped the Kraken score three extra-attacker goals—all in a six-day stretch against Vancouver. His net rating in this category was minus-10.
Montour’s minus-22 season was also heavily influenced by pulled-goalie scenarios. He was on the ice for 16 empty-net goals against, including 12 in which he was on the ice at the same time as Dunn. He was involved in three goals for: two extra-attacker goals and one empty-netter, finishing minus-13.
Special teams aftermath
Only shorthanded goals affect plus/minus during power plays or penalty kills. However, we also looked at goals scored immediately after special teams ended, when defensive pairings are often mixed.
Larsson, who plays on the penalty kill, was on the ice for two shorthanded goals for and was also on the ice for seven goals during post-special teams situations—three goals for and four against—resulting in a minus-1. When combined, these situations netted him a plus-1 overall in the special teams category.
Dunn, on the power-play unit, finished minus-5 in this category. He was on for two shorthanded goals against and several goals against during line reconfigurations. This category does not reflect Dunn’s offensive contributions on special teams. He is second all-time in Kraken power-play points with 54—only behind McCann’s 72.
Line changes
In this scenario, goals were scored while Larsson or Dunn were in the process of getting off or on the ice, but the team had not completed a full change. This often occurs due to icing calls—when players are not allowed to change—or when they get stuck in their zone on a long shift.
Larsson was plus-2 in these moments (five goals for, three against while Dunn was off). Dunn was even (five goals for, five against while Larsson was off). This category had a minor impact in terms of net plus/minus, but it still involved 18 total goals scored—far from an insignificant number of events.
Overtime and other
There are limited opportunities to impact plus/minus in overtime, as the Kraken only played 10 overtime games this season, totaling just 36 minutes of OT ice time in games where Larsson and Dunn both played.
Dunn was even, with one goal for and one against—both in overtime. Larsson, who typically does not play much in overtime, was even in OT this season. His lone plus in this category came from a 4-on-4 situation earlier in the year, which is included in the ‘other’ category.
Putting it all together
The chart above shows the 25-point difference in plus/minus. If you strip out empty-net scenarios—which are highly role-dependent—Larsson would finish the season at plus-15, Dunn at plus-10. That paints a more balanced picture of each player’s 5-on-5 performance.
Removing empty-net goals from Montour’s plus/minus improves his rating to minus-7. While still in the negative, that number may reflect the performance of his defensive partners more than his own play. He spent most of the season paired with Oleksiak (minus-2) and Ryker Evans (minus-12), both of whom experienced their own struggles in the defensive zone.
Wrapping up
Plus/minus is not a perfect stat, and this analysis reinforces that. Understanding plus/minus requires context—game situations, deployment, and defensive pairings all play a role. Without that, the stat can give a misleading impression.
Dunn and Larsson—and the Kraken defense as a whole—had an up-and-down season marked by inconsistency. While their performance left room for improvement, there were still strengths to build on. Expect the team’s next head coach to place a strong emphasis on improving the defensive side of the puck.
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.
