Seattle Kraken 2025-26 Season Preview

This week, the 2025-26 NHL season drops the puck, and with that, the Seattle Kraken will be opening their 5th year in franchise history. After finding the playoffs and winning a series a couple of years ago, they’re now searching for an identity, with a different coach for the 3rd straight season. How can this season be different? Will a new system bring new life? Can the young prospects find a full-time role? Or do we see a Vezina season from Joey Daccord?

Today I’ll give a little insight into the Kraken, including player power rankings, top prospects, and some “need-to-happens” if we want playoff hockey back in Seattle! First, let’s take a look at the official roster for our Kraken.

Let’s start with the surprises...the youngsters: Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, & Ryan Winterton. Winterton most likely sealed his spot with Kaapo Kakko going down and his two-goal performance in the last preseason game. Meanwhile, the man (well, kid practically) we’ve all been waiting for is getting his chance, at least a nine-game tryout. Catton has been the talk of Seattle for the past 12 months or so; his offensive ability could be exactly what Matty Beniers needs on his line to playmake with. We saw last year how the addition of Kakko boosted the Beniers line, Catton now could bring that same kind of firepower, as he was a point machine in junior hockey! His early arrival is already creating a buzz around Seattle.

Now let’s talk about the vets, the guys we paid and now need to show us they are the guys. Jordan Eberle, the captain, is finally healthy and hoping for a bounce-back year. The rest of our core, though, comes with some question marks surrounding their health. Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, Chandler Stephenson, & Jared McCann are all working their way back from offseason surgeries or preseason bang-ups. Personally, I’m not too worried about Dunn, that looked to be more precautionary than anything, but the others we’ll truly need at full go, especially with Ryker Evans and Kakko expected to miss more than the first month of the season.

In between the pipes, the Kraken are sticking with a trio led by Joey Daccord. Behind him are two Stanley Cup winners in Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray. These three have all shown the ability to be “the guy.” The key will be the defense in front, last year, it allowed too many high-quality looks for Daccord and others to stop. Through that, Joey still managed a top-10 (even top-5 in some aspects) season. He’s a notorious hard worker, and his journey from club to D1 to the NHL shows he’s never satisfied. It’s his net for a second straight year in Seattle as the season kicks off Thursday.

Before we get into rankings, let’s talk about what we need to make a run at postseason hockey this year. I’ve come up with five keys to Kraken hockey:

1. Joey Daccord — 30+ Wins

He needs to get us wins from the net. I know we need to score, too, but if Joey can notch 30 wins (60 points), then between the other two, we just need half of that, 15 more. It’s daunting to read, but that’s why it’s the number one key. Daccord being Daccord will help spark this team.

2. Two 30-Goal Scorers

We need two dudes! The lone playoff year, McCann had 40, so I’m asking for ten less, but from two guys. We have the roster to get that. Shane Wright, McCann, Eberle, and Beniers all have the shots to do it. Dark horses to reach 30: Catton, Mason Marchment, and Kakko (though missing games makes it tough). Having two 30+ goal guys changes how teams defend us.

3. Two-Way Defense

Yes, we want Dunn and Montour to light it up and get involved offensively, but our defensive numbers have to be better, stop the odd-man rushes and defend without going a man down. Last year, these were huge problems, partly due to Dunn missing time, but still, we need to protect our goalies better!

4. Buy Into the Lambert System

Last year never fully clicked. Through preseason, the boys already seem a bit more bought in. That has to continue throughout the year, even if it’s a rough start (and the long roadie out of the gate isn’t ideal). Stick with it as a group. A connected team is a dangerous team.

5. Win 25 in Seattle

Last year: 18-18-5. That’s not gonna get you to the playoffs! Twenty-five home wins, that’s not a crazy number. It’s our home ice, a beautifully loud space that haunts road teams. We need to Defend the Deep! If we can win 25 at home and go .500 on the road, that’s 45 wins and the 90-point threshold, and in the last 10 seasons, about 80% of teams that hit 90 points made the playoffs.

Now we need guys to step up to accomplish these keys, so who are the Top 10 Power Rankings of Kraken players heading into the year?

Vince Dunn and Joey Daccord could easily be co-No. 1. Both are crucial to the season. Daccord, of course, is the man in the arena, how far he goes is how far we go. Dunn might rank higher in my book than others’ because of what he brings beyond talent, attitude. The Kraken need that edge. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and stands up for his guys, like we already saw in preseason.

The flash from McCann, Beniers, and Wright can free-flow knowing they’ve got Dunn behind them. As we get deeper into the list, the scorers, Beniers, Wright, and McCann, have to light the lamp this season. The scoring depth is there too, as Eberle, Marchment, and Stephenson have all posted 20-goal seasons in the past.

Marchment is the sneaky new guy. Now yes, it’s hard to be “sneaky” with his size, but I mean that no one seems to be talking about the signing, and yet he quietly finds his way to 20-goal seasons.

A couple of guys just off this list would be the youngsters: Catton, Nyman, and Winterton. Their contributions could make the difference the Kraken are looking for this season. They still land on the prospect rankings below, and that pool keeps getting deeper and stronger every year.

This preseason we saw strong performances from Jagger Firkus, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, and Eduard Šalé. The future continues to look brighter and brighter in the PNW.

The season ahead brings new life to The Deep, a new coach, new prospects, and even new jerseys! Still such a young franchise, the Kraken are looking to solidify their footing in the Western Conference. With the big names healthy and the young talent arriving early, this is shaping up to be an exciting, competitive season for us Kraken fans. Its time...THATS KRAKEN HOCKEY BABY!