The Seattle Kraken have locked in two more pieces for the 2026-27 season, re-signing goaltender Victor Östman and defenseman Ville Ottavainen to one-year deals, according to a team announcement. Both contracts are presumably two-way agreements.
Östman, 25, came into the organization late in the 2023-24 season after wrapping up his NCAA career. Before that, he spent a year with the USHL’s Chicago Steel and then four seasons at the University of Maine. In 86 games with the Black Bears, he posted a 35-38-7 record along with a .905 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average.
His first pro season included an NHL debut with Seattle, but most of that year was spent in the ECHL with the Kansas City Mavericks. Last season was the one where he settled into the AHL full time, going 17-15-3 in 36 games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds with a .906 save percentage and a 2.81 goals-against average.
Ottavainen’s path has looked different. Seattle drafted the Finnish defenseman 99th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft out of JYP in the Finnish Liiga, and he stayed with JYP for two more years before coming to North America.
His early AHL work hinted at real upside. In his first stretch with the Firebirds, he put up eight goals and 34 points in 70 games and finished plus-27, then added three assists in 18 playoff games.
Since then, though, the production has slowed. Over the last two seasons, he has managed six goals and 32 points in 121 games.
He also recorded one assist in his NHL debut with the Kraken in the 2024-25 season, but he has not received another look at the NHL level since.
In Other News...
Ducks May Be Headed For Another Costly Frank Vatrano Dilemma
The Frank Vatrano chatter around Anaheim has turned into one of those familiar cap-era puzzles, with the Ducks trying to move the wingers contract and already reaching out to Vancouver. The Canucks, though, are said to be operating with a tight budget and a money-in, money-out mindset, which makes any deal built around taking on extra payroll a tricky sell even before the rest of the league weighs in.
For Seattle, the more interesting subplot is the one unfolding around Shane Wright, whose name has surfaced in trade discussions as the Kraken and his agent explore possible destinations. The market appears to be taking shape with several teams in the mix, and the question now is whether Seattle can find the kind of return it wants while the rest of the rumor mill keeps spinning with bigger names and bigger swings. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Wright Rumors Signal A Brutal Turning Point For The Kraken
Shane Wrights time in Seattle has become one of the franchises most complicated storylines, with a player once viewed as a cornerstone now at the center of trade chatter. The Kraken have spent years trying to unlock the high-end prospect they believed they were getting, but the fit has never quite settled into what either side hoped, and the latest reports suggest the situation has reached a point where a change may be best for everyone involved.
For Seattle, the challenge is no longer just about patience or projection. It is about deciding how much value remains in Wrights name, pedigree and upside, and whether another organization can offer the kind of reset the Kraken can no longer provide. The market around him is still taking shape, and with interest beginning to surface, the next move could say as much about Seattles direction as it does about Wrights future. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins May Have A Risky Answer To Their Top Six Center Problem
Shane Wright keeps surfacing in the kind of trade chatter that follows a young center with pedigree but unfinished business, and Boston is the latest club looking at him through that lens. The Bruins have a clear need down the middle, and Wright, still just a former fourth-overall pick trying to turn promise into reliable top-six production, fits the profile of a player who could change that conversation if the price and the fit line up.
For Seattle, though, this is not the sort of move to make lightly. The Kraken are expected to hold out for fair value, which means any serious discussion would have to start with real assets coming back, not just a hopeful swap of needs. Boston has pieces it could dangle, but the question is whether the Bruins are willing to pay enough to get the kind of center they believe can help them now without emptying too much of the cupboard in the process. [Read more 🡒]