The Maple Leafs and Kraken are walking into Wednesday banged up, and that’s probably where this game gets decided.
Toronto’s injury list is the uglier one on paper: Max Domi is out long term, backup goalie Elvis Merzlikins is also listed long-term, Chris Tanev is on injured reserve, John Tavares is on injured reserve, and there are three more bottom-six forwards and depth players on injured reserve as well.
Seattle has its own issues, though not quite to the same degree. Jared McCann is on injured reserve, Jacob Melanson is on injured reserve, and Ryan Lindgren is out.
So yes, the excuse book is open for both sides. Toronto just has more pages missing.
That makes this one feel like a “let’s see how the other guys step up” kind of matchup, and it’s not even November.
If there’s a real edge here, it may come from the obvious stuff: goaltending and special teams. Expect Philipp Grubauer in net for the Kraken and Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Panthers, in goal for the Maple Leafs. Germany against Russia in the crease.
The special teams numbers are where things get really uncomfortable. Toronto owns the NHL’s fifth-ranked power play at 28.9 percent, while Seattle’s penalty kill sits at 70.6 percent, which is the 27th best mark in the league, or 6th worst if you want to call it what it is.
Flip the script and it gets even messier. The Maple Leafs’ penalty kill is tops in the league right now at 93.6 percent, while Seattle’s power play ranks 11th at 23.1 percent.
Toronto is 4-1 all time in Seattle, but the Kraken swept the two-game season series in 2025-26.
In Other News...
Kraken Blue Line Just Powered A Wild Win Over Toronto
The Kraken and Maple Leafs traded blows in a 5-4 game that never settled down, with Seattle getting an unusual boost from its defensemen all night. Josh Mahura and Ryker Evans both scored from the blue line, part of a game that featured multiple lead changes, a tested penalty kill and notable work from rookie Gavin McKenna as well as goalies Philipp Grubauer and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Seattle finally found the edge late, and the timing only added to the drama of a win that felt like it could swing either way until the final minute. For a team that needed production from every part of the lineup to survive Torontos pressure, the blueline came through in a big way and turned an up-and-down night into a memorable result. [Read more 🡒]
Predators Blue Line Plans May Be Bigger Than Fans Expected
Roster shuffling around the league has started to pull Seattle into the conversation again, with Shane Wrights name surfacing as clubs weigh their own needs and the Kraken continue sorting out where their next upgrade could come from. The broader market has already been stirred by Minnesotas reported willingness to include Danila Yurov in trade packages while chasing a top center after landing Quinn Hughes, a reminder that one move can quickly reshape the asks and the available pieces.
For Seattle, the interest in Wright sits alongside other trade chatter, including Nashville defenseman Nicolas Hague being mentioned as part of the league-wide adjustments teams are exploring. Nothing has been finalized, but the fact that Wright is being discussed at all signals how active these conversations have become, with the Kraken still tied to a market that could eventually force a decision on one of their young centers. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Could Make A Young Center The Key To A Big Move
Jason Botterills offseason search appears to be aimed at one of the leagues most valuable commodities, a top-line scoring winger, and Seattle seems prepared to use some of its young center depth to get there. For a team still trying to sharpen its offensive ceiling, that is the kind of trade conversation that can reshape the roster quickly, especially when it involves a player the Kraken view as part of their future rather than a stopgap.
The wrinkle is that Seattle does not appear to be shopping from a position of weakness so much as from a place of leverage, with Torontos salary-cap squeeze adding another layer to the discussion. The Maple Leafs are limited in how they can add players with term this season, and that pressure can affect the kinds of moves they can make around the roster and even their AHL call-ups, which only adds intrigue to any potential deal between the two sides. [Read more 🡒]