The Seattle Kraken may have lost more than a game Tuesday night in Vegas.
Defenseman Ryan Lindgren was forced out after a hit from behind by the Golden Knights’ Marc Gatcomb just 15 seconds into the first period. Gatcomb was assessed a two-minute boarding penalty, though the play clearly left Lindgren worse for wear. The 28-year-old stayed on long enough to log six shifts and four minutes of ice time in the period, but he did not come back after the intermission.
Seattle has only described the issue as an upper body injury, and there’s still no word on how long Lindgren might be sidelined. Kraken VP of communication Chris Brumwell told Simmer late Wednesday that the next update could come from coach Lane Lambert after Thursday morning’s practice.
With Seattle carrying eight defensemen, the club does have options if Lindgren can’t go when the team opens a five-game road trip Friday in Detroit. Josh Mahura or Ville Ottavainen, both healthy scratches against Vegas, could be in line for the call.
Lindgren’s absence would sting because this isn’t new territory for him. He’s built a reputation as a warrior for the way he throws himself into shot lanes, but that style has also cost him time in the past. Across 485 NHL games with the Rangers, Avalanche and Kraken, he has 715 blocks and 642 hits.
His injury history includes being limited to 51 games in one New York season, 63 in another, and 72 games split between the Blueshirts and Avs in 2024-25. Seattle signed him to a four-year, $18 million deal in the summer of 2025.
In Other News...
Kraken Fans Will Be Arguing About This Vegas Loss All Night
Victor Olofsson did plenty of damage against Seattle on a night when the Kraken never quite found their footing, scoring twice in Vegas 6-2 win. The Kraken had chances early on the power play, but they spent too much of the game chasing a mix of penalties and bad puck luck that kept swinging momentum back toward the Golden Knights.
The frustration boiled over as the game got choppier, and Seattles bench had plenty to sort through afterward. Ben Meyers was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct, while the physical edge escalated even further in a contest that already felt like it was slipping away from the Kraken long before the final horn. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Exposed At Home By A Problem Fans Already Feared
The Krakens night at Climate Pledge Arena unraveled early and never really settled into anything resembling home-ice control, as Vegas rolled to a 6-2 win behind huge performances from Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel. Seattle got goals from Shane Wright and Jared McCann, but the Golden Knights were cleaner, faster and far more dangerous in the moments that decided the game, with Victor Olofsson adding two goals before leaving the ice after a hard collision.
For Seattle, the more worrying part was how quickly the game got away in front of a crowd that had already been bracing for defensive trouble. Joey Daccord was chased in the third period after giving up five goals on 21 shots, with Philipp Grubauer taking over late, and the Kraken never found a way to steady things long enough to make the finish interesting. Meanwhile, the sequence that knocked Olofsson out of the game added another layer of agitation to a matchup that had already tilted sharply in Vegas favor. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Suddenly Face A Blue Line Concern After Physical Loss
A physical night in Vegas ended with the Kraken dealing with an early scare on the blue line, as Ryan Lindgren exited after taking a hard hit and never returned. Seattle has leaned on its defense to stay organized in tight games, so any injury on the back end immediately raises questions about how the group will hold up if a regular is forced out for any length of time.
Lindgrens departure came in a game already marked by a couple of injury situations elsewhere around the league, underscoring how quickly a heavy matchup can change a teams outlook. For Seattle, the immediate concern is less about the final score than whether Lindgren will be available moving forward, and the team now has to wait for more clarity before knowing how much this one affects its rotation on defense. [Read more 🡒]