The Seattle Kraken may have one of the league’s most intriguing contracts on their hands, and it belongs to a player who didn’t spend much time in the lineup last season.
Ally Chesham of Sportsnet put the spotlight on McMann, calling him an NHL late bloomer after he appeared in just 18 games for Seattle following a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs. In that short stint, McMann made his presence felt right away, piling up 10 goals and four assists. He also set career highs in games played, goals, assists, points and ice time last season.
Rather than test free agency, McMann chose to stay put and signed his first long-term deal with the Kraken. The contract runs six years and is worth $34.5 million, a jump in both length and average annual value from the two previous deals he signed with Toronto. Chesham noted that McMann is already 30, making it fair to wonder how much value Seattle will ultimately get from the agreement.
Chesham also framed McMann as one of two notable forward additions on the Kraken’s 2026-27 opening night roster. Seattle has struggled to draw star talent since entering the league, but the team did land winger Mackie Samoskevich in a June trade and locked up McMann on that six-year extension.
The hope, Chesham wrote, is that younger forwards such as Berkly Catton, Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, if he sticks around, can take a step forward. General manager Jason Botterill has said he is excited about the possibility of seven or eight forwards under 23 making the opening night roster.
Another area Seattle needs to clean up is the penalty kill, which finished 31st in the league last season.
Still, not everyone is sold on the idea that the offense is ready to take off. Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell pointed to a group that finished with the fifth-fewest goals per game at 2.73, a power play that clicked at 19.46% and ranked 21st, and a 5v5 expected goals rate of 2.36 per 60 minutes that trailed only the Chicago Blackhawks.
“There is some semblance of a solid offensive core, but each player would be better served as a complementary piece to a more-talented core of players. None of these players is meant to be the guy on a team, but in Seattle, they have to be.”
That reality keeps the pressure on coach Lane Lambert’s preferred identity. Canucks Army pointed to the way Seattle played during the scoreless second period of last Saturday’s preseason opener, a 4-2 Kraken win, describing it as the kind of game the team likes to play.
“The second period was a grinding, slow-paced affair, and that’s exactly how the Kraken like it. Even with three power plays, neither team reached double digits in shots on goal or found the back of the net.”
Looking further ahead, Dobber Prospects’ Alex Wyatt suggested Seattle could use its stockpile of assets to patch holes over time. The Kraken have their own first-round pick and a conditional one from Tampa next year, along with seven expiring contracts worth $31 million and the possibility of two first-round picks to spend.
Sportsnet’s NHL coverage won’t feature much Seattle on its Saturday night telecasts this season. The Kraken are set for just four appearances on the network, all in Pacific time: Oct. 3 at Edmonton at 4 p.m.; Nov. 28 against Edmonton in Seattle at 7 p.m.; March 6 at Ottawa at 12 noon; and April 3 against Winnipeg in Seattle at 4 p.m.
With Amazon Prime Canada shifting its streaming package to Wednesdays and John Forslund handling play-by-play, Monday night hockey will be exclusive to Sportsnet+ for viewers willing to pay an extra $12.99 CDN per month on most systems. Seattle’s lone appearance there is March 1 at Winnipeg at 4 p.m.
In Other News...
Kraken Prospects Helped Spark A Feel-Good Seattle Moment In Northgate
A new ball hockey court in Northgate gave the Kraken a chance to turn a community project into something more personal, with prospects Ty Nelson, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Jagger Firkus, Tyson Jugnauth and Kaden Hammell on hand for the opening of the Hubbard Homestead Sport Court. The event, led by the Krakens One Roof Foundation, brought local elementary school children into the mix for a clinic and relay races, the kind of neighborhood gathering that makes the rink-adjacent game feel closer to home.
The opening also drew community leaders and underscored the push behind neighborhood sports facilities across Seattle. King County helped fund the project, and the court now joins a growing list of Kraken-backed spaces meant to give kids a place to play right where they live, even as the bigger picture around the foundations reach keeps expanding. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Prospect Pipeline Is Finally Putting Real Roster Pressure On
Jagger Firkus has become the clearest reminder that Seattles prospect pipeline is no longer just about long-term hope. The 2022 second-round pick has made noticeable strides in both skill and physical development, the sort of progress that tends to show up only after a young player has spent real time under pro coaching and gone through the grind of adding strength and refining his game. For a franchise that has asked patience of its draft picks, that matters.
The bigger picture for the Kraken is starting to shift from simply developing talent to figuring out how to fit it in. Analysts have long pointed out that Seattle prospects often need several years before they are ready for NHL duty, but that timeline is beginning to compress as more AHL players mature into legitimate options. The next question is no longer whether the organization has enough depth to dream on, but which of those names are close enough to force the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Top Prospect Suddenly Faces A Tougher Roster Fight
Jake OBriens push to crack the Krakens NHL roster has hit a small bump at just the wrong time, with the top prospect listed day-to-day because of a lower-body injury. Seattle is treating it as a precautionary situation, but it comes as preseason games begin to run out and every shift matters for a young player trying to force his way into the picture.
OBrien still remains in the conversation for the NHL roster, and there is another wrinkle working in his favor if the Kraken decide he needs more time elsewhere. Under the new league rule, one 19-year-old first-round pick can be sent to the AHL if he does not make the NHL roster, giving Seattle a little more flexibility with how it handles his development while this latest injury keeps his status in flux. [Read more 🡒]