The Hockey News is not expecting much from the Seattle Kraken heading into the 2026-27 season.
In its offseason rankings, the outlet placed Seattle 29th out of 32 NHL teams, a spot that reflects just how stuck the Kraken have looked since joining the league in 2021. Adam Proteau summed up the view bluntly: “The Kraken are the epitome of a mushy middle team.
They haven't been good enough to make the playoffs, but haven't been bad enough to acquire generational talent through the draft. There have been a handful of bright moments for the Kraken, but they are proving that progress isn’t linear.
Until some elite players enter the organization, it's difficult to imagine they can be expected to contend with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights near the top of the Pacific Division.”
That assessment lines up with Seattle’s early track record. The Kraken have made the playoffs just once in their first five seasons, missing out in four of them. Their high-water mark came in 2022-23, when they finished with 100 points and a 46-28-8 record, good for fourth in the Pacific Division.
That year also brought the franchise’s only playoff run so far. Seattle beat the Colorado Avalanche in seven games to reach the second round, then fell to the Dallas Stars in seven games.
This offseason did little to change the outlook. The Kraken’s only notable addition was right winger Mackie Samoskevich, who arrived from the Florida Panthers. They also extended Bobby McMann for six years, but otherwise failed to add more pieces.
At the same time, the roster took hits. Eeli Tolvanen, Jaden Schwartz and Jamie Oleksiak all left, leaving the team with holes at winger and defense.
So as Seattle enters its sixth NHL season, it looks a lot like the version that has produced limited results before. That’s a big reason The Hockey News landed on No. 29 for the Kraken.
In Other News...
Kraken Fans Have A Real Reason To Believe In This Young Core
Corey Pronmans latest look at NHL teams under 23 offered a clear reminder that Seattles rebuild is not just about future hope, it already has real shape. In The Athletics ranking of pros and prospects, the Kraken landed sixth overall and third in the Pacific Division, a placement that speaks to how much young talent is now clustered around the organization.
The list also puts a spotlight on why the pipeline feels deeper than it did a year or two ago, with Chase Reid named Seattles top prospect and other names such as Casey Mutryn, Ola Palme and Viktor Fedorov drawing notice. Pronman also weighed in on full-time Kraken players Shane Wright and Berkly Catton, giving fans another reason to track how this group develops, even if the full breakdown sits behind The Athletics paywall. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Young Core Faces Real Pressure To Deliver A Playoff Push
The Kraken head into the 2026-27 season with the kind of expectations that usually come attached to progress, not patience. After three straight years outside the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the bar in Seattle is no longer just about being competitive on most nights. The next step has to mean a real playoff push, more offense that looks closer to league average and a team that starts to matter again in the Pacific Division race.
A big part of that leap falls on the young core, with Matty Beniers facing the clearest challenge of all as he tries to cement himself as the clubs No. 1 center. Seattle also needs at least one younger player to take a meaningful step forward, because development alone is not enough anymore. The Kraken have spent enough time talking about upside. Now the pressure is on for that potential to show up in the standings. [Read more 🡒]