The Seattle Kraken get their first crack at the Utah Mammoth in the 2026-27 NHL season on home ice, and there are two threads worth watching as this homestand rolls on. Seattle opened the stretch with a 4-3 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings, and now the focus shifts to whether the Kraken can keep stacking results at Climate Pledge Arena.
One familiar name likely won’t be in the mix. Curtis Douglas is on the outside looking in again, skating as an extra forward for the eighth straight game.
That means he is likely to sit once more, despite the two-year contract the Kraken gave him in the offseason with an average-annual value of 1.25 million dollars. Douglas came over after playing for the Vancouver Canucks, where he appeared in 14 games last season and posted one goal and one assist.
Seattle brought Douglas in to fill a specific need: a physical enforcer who can bring size and bite. At 6'7", he brings the kind of heaviness that can change the tone of a game.
But right now, the Kraken are leaning another direction. They are getting what they need from the 12 forwards on the roster, and with Seattle in a good spot early in the 2026-27 season, the emphasis is on keeping the offense moving.
That has left younger players like Berkly Catton and Ryan Winterton to supply the scoring push.
The other piece to watch is how Seattle handles a Utah team that has had its number. The Kraken are 2-4-0 against the Mammoth overall, and both of Seattle’s wins came in the first two meetings between the clubs, both at Climate Pledge Arena.
Once the Kraken went to Utah in the 2024-25 season, they took their first loss in the matchup. Then in 2025-26, Seattle was swept in the season series.
So the building itself may matter here. The Kraken have already shown they can beat the Mammoth at home, and they’ll try to do it again while keeping the momentum from the Detroit comeback alive.
In Other News...
Kraken Suddenly Face A Bigger Jared McCann Concern Than One Injury
Jared McCanns lower-body injury has pushed the Kraken into a familiar spot, forcing them to look down the organization for help at forward. Seattle recalled Jani Nyman from the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a move that fits the way the club has handled this kind of lineup shakeup before. Nyman has already seen NHL action over the past two seasons, and he had been turning in a strong stretch in the AHL this year, giving the Kraken a ready-made option while they sort through the latest injury issue.
The bigger concern now is not just who fills McCanns spot, but how long Seattle might be without one of its most important offensive pieces. The team is still evaluating the injury, and there has been no timeline announced for his return. Until that changes, the Kraken are left balancing immediate roster needs with the uncertainty that comes with losing a player as central to their attack as McCann. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Keep Winning Despite A Problem That Could Still Haunt Them
The Kraken have found a way to keep stacking points even when their evenings get messy in the third period, a trait that says as much about their resilience as it does about the pressure still lurking in their game. Seattle has already matched the best 11-game start in franchise history at 7-3-1, and coach Lane Lambert has pointed to the groups ability to respond rather than fold when a lead starts to slip away.
Ryan Winterton also reached a notable milestone in the middle of this run, appearing in his 100th NHL game while the Kraken continued to build early momentum. The bigger question is whether these comeback-friendly nights are a sign of poise or a warning that the tightening-up issues could eventually catch up to them, even as the wins keep coming. [Read more 🡒]