The Seattle Kraken are bringing back a familiar name on the AHL side. The Coachella Valley Firebirds announced that defenseman Gustav Olofsson has been re-signed to an AHL deal for the 2026-27 campaign.
Olofsson, a second-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in the 2013 NHL Draft, has spent most of his career grinding away in the AHL. His NHL run came mostly in Minnesota, where he picked up 11 assists in 56 games from 2015 to 2018. The Wild later sent him to the Montreal Canadiens for William Bitten just before the 2018-19 season got underway.
After a few years in the Canadiens organization, with much of that time spent in Laval, Olofsson joined the Kraken as a free agent before the 2021-22 season. Last year turned into the strongest professional season of his career: four goals, 32 points, and a plus-28 rating in 48 games for Coachella Valley.
Elsewhere, the IIHF recently upheld its ban on the Russian Federation for the 2027 World Championship, pointing to “ongoing concerns related to safety, security, and the integrity of the competition.” That ruling does not spill over into NHL-run international events.
In a report from Petr Shatrov of Sport24 in Russia, Vice Commissioner Bill Daly said, “ The IIHF’s decision to bar the Russian national team from next year’s World Championship has no impact on Russia’s possible participation in the 2028 World Cup. “
Daly also addressed Quebec City expansion in comments on The Sick Podcast. He said the league has made a real push to bring a team back to Quebec City, but so far it has not landed an ownership group or candidate willing to pay the expansion fee or commit to keeping the club there for the long term.
In Other News...
Eddie Olczyk Recalls The Broadcast Moment He Never Saw Coming
Early in his broadcasting career, Eddie Olczyk got a crash course in improvisation during a Pittsburgh Penguins game at Nassau Coliseum, when his partner, Mike Lange, was locked out of the broadcast booth and Olczyk had to call the game alone. On the 100% Hockey podcast, he looked back on the unexpected assignment as one of those moments that can define how quickly a newcomer learns to handle the microphone.
Olczyk also recalled a funny aside tied to New York Rangers announcer Sam Rosen and one of his familiar catchphrases, a reminder that hockey broadcasts can turn on the smallest details. It was the kind of story that showed how fast the job can throw a broadcaster off script, and how often the best television and radio memories come from something nobody in the booth planned for. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Wright Could Be Caught In Vancouvers Biggest Roster Decision
The ripple effects of Vancouvers roster questions have reached across the border and onto Seattles radar, with Shane Wright suddenly part of a broader conversation about where the Canucks want to go next. For the Kraken, it is notable not because a deal is anywhere near the finish line, but because Wright has become the kind of young center talent that can show up in talks when another team is weighing whether to keep leaning on its established core or pivot toward a younger future.
Elias Pettersson remains the central figure in that debate, and Wrights name surfacing only underlines how much Vancouver is still sorting through its direction. Seattle has no reason to treat this as anything more than background noise for now, but it is the sort of noise worth monitoring when a division rival starts thinking out loud about big-picture change. [Read more 🡒]