Lane Lambert has kept the Kraken’s camp lines relatively steady, and that should carry over into Thursday night’s preseason rematch with Calgary.
The look up front starts with Matty Beniers in the middle of newcomer Mackie Samoskevich and Jared McCann. That trio has the kind of speed that jumps off the page, and McCann, now pain-free as the season approaches, is in a better spot to make it all work.
Behind them, Chandler Stephenson is expected to center a line with captain Jordan Eberle, while Bobby McMann brings the shoot-first edge on the wing. And then there’s the third unit, which may be the most interesting one on the ice: Berkly Catton moving into the middle, Shane Wright shifting to right wing, and Kaapo Kakko on the other side.
Lambert explained the thinking after Wednesday’s practice.
“Shane, he's a shooter,” said Lambert after Wednesday’s practice. “With Berkly playing in the middle now instead of Shane, we'll see how that progresses and goes along.
Shane can use a speed down the right side, and he can use his shot down the right side. We feel Berkly has the ability to make plays, not that Shane wasn’t doing that from the middle.
Kaapo is a guy who's a big body for those guys. He can make plays.
Kaapo had a really good finish to last season, scoring a good chunk of the end. We're looking forward to that line using their speed, and then Kaapo using his abilities.”
Eberle, meanwhile, has been vocal about what he’s seeing from the younger players around him. At Tuesday’s media scrum at his locker, he singled out Samoskevich right away.
“I mean, you see the skill,” said Eberle. “You see the vision and his shot, everything.
He's got all the tools. We've obviously lacked in depth scoring and scoring throughout our lineup in general [last season].
He's going to add to that and be a huge addition for us.”
He also mentioned Oscar Fisker Molgaard, who remains in camp and could get a look between Winterton and Melanson, though that part was only a guess in the reporting. Eberle’s broader point was clear: the young talent in camp has caught his attention.
“As a as an older guy, you're always in awe of just every kid's skill now,” said Eberle, who was no slouch last season. “You know the skill and the speed that everyone has now.
It's it's just gone up and up and up and up ... Berk looks great.
Matty Bernier is taking a step, and Ryker [Evans] looks good.”
There’s also a practical side to Thursday’s game. Under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, NHL veterans with 100 games or more are limited to a maximum of two games on the ice, which makes these preseason chances more precious for players like Eberle.
And after a camp that has featured plenty of practice work, the Kraken are ready for something more real.
“So far I've liked it,” said Eberle about the energy and battle level of teammates in this camp. “These days, guys come into camp ready to go.
They're in shape, they've done a lot of off-season training and skating. ... Last year for us, we had some injury problems we went through in camp.
As much as we've had practice time, you're trying to get things down; it's hard to simulate real game action.”
In Other News...
Shane Wright Still Faces One Big Test With The Kraken
Shane Wrights place in Seattle looked unsettled earlier this offseason, when the former fourth-overall NHL draft pick was on the trade block but ultimately stayed put after no deal came together. Since then, the conversation around Wright has shifted from whether he would be moved to what he still needs to show with the Kraken, and that starts with giving the organization more offense to believe in.
His agent now says Wright is fully committed to the Kraken, which only raises the pressure on the 20-year-old to turn that commitment into production. For a player with his pedigree, the path forward is pretty clear: Seattle wants to see his game translate more consistently on the scoresheet, and his long-term future there may hinge on whether he can make that leap. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Montour Is Already Setting The Tone For The Kraken
The Kraken wrapped up their four-game preseason slate against the Vancouver Canucks, but the attention from their exhibition run had already drifted to Brandon Montour. In a recent game against Calgary, the defenseman flashed the kind of urgency Seattle hoped to add when it brought him in, making a notable stop in front of a scrambling crease and then speaking in the plain, no-frills way that has already started to define his place in the room.
Montours role carries extra weight because he is wearing an assistant captains letter, and the early read is that he is settling into the leadership group quickly. Around the same time, the organization also marked a notable sendoff for Bob Condor, who covered his final game as Kraken editor-in-chief and was honored with a personalized jersey, a reminder that this stretch of preseason has been about more than just line combinations and final roster decisions. For Seattle, the interesting part is how much of the tone-setting is already coming from a player still learning the contours of his new team. [Read more 🡒]
Former Panthers First Round Pick Hits Early Setback In Seattle
Mackie Samoskevichs first days in Seattle have already hit a small snag. The Kraken forward, who arrived from Florida and has been settling in after a recent move, is dealing with an upper-body injury and will not suit up for Saturdays preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks.
It is an early interruption for a player Seattle brought in with more than just camp depth in mind, especially after handing him a three-year contract to join a group that expects him to be part of the mix. Samoskevichs path has already taken him from the University of Michigan to the Panthers and now to the Kraken, and the next question is simply when he can get back on the ice and start building toward his first season in Seattle. [Read more 🡒]