Jaden Schwartz’s 2025-26 season with the Seattle Kraken was shaped as much by absence as by production. When he was available, he still gave the club useful minutes and timely offense. But injuries kept interrupting his rhythm, and that made it tough for him to deliver the steady scoring Seattle needed.
Schwartz appeared in 50 games and finished with 26 points, collecting 11 goals and 15 assists. The injury issues came in waves.
He dealt with two lower-body injuries early in the season, then later had a scary moment in March when he took a skate blade to the face. Those setbacks cost him 32 games and limited how often he could stay locked in.
Even with the stops and starts, Schwartz still made an early mark. He picked up his first point of the season in Seattle’s opener on Oct. 9, setting up Vince Dunn’s goal for the team’s first score of the year. Two games later, he buried his first goal, a power-play tally against the Montreal Canadiens, and that sparked a three-game point streak.
His biggest nights came in bursts. On Oct. 23, he scored twice and added an assist.
On Nov. 15, he struck for two more goals. Those were the kinds of games that reminded Seattle what Schwartz can do when he’s rolling, but they were harder to come by because he kept getting knocked off track.
When he was in the lineup, Schwartz gave the Kraken lineup flexibility. He moved between the second and third lines and worked on either wing, left or right, alongside Chandler Stephenson or Shane Wright at center.
That versatility mattered, especially in the middle six, where Seattle needed help generating chances. Schwartz did that job when he could, even if the injuries kept him from doing it with any real consistency.
Now Schwartz’s time in Seattle has ended. He hit free agency this offseason and on July 2 signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche carrying a $3.25 million average annual value. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in 2029, when he’ll be 37.
Schwartz was also one of the original members of the inaugural Kraken team after signing with Seattle as a free agent. He found a scoring role quickly and made an immediate impression, which is part of why replacing him won’t be easy for the Kraken.
For the season, Schwartz earned a B-. The injuries made consistency nearly impossible, but he still gave Seattle solid value whenever he was healthy enough to play.
In Other News...
Kraken Fans Got An Encouraging Early Look At Chase Reid
The World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario, gave hockey fans a useful mid-summer checkpoint, and for Kraken watchers it offered an early look at Chase Reid in a pressure setting against some of the best under-20 talent in the sport. Team USA came out on top at the event, which ran from July 26 to Aug. 1 and doubled as a tune-up for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, with Canada, Finland and Sweden all in the mix.
For Seattle, the encouraging part was not just the result but the chance to see Reid in a tournament built around pace, structure and international competition. Adam Nightingale, who coaches both Team USA and Michigan State, praised the way the group handled the showcase and pointed to team play as the deciding factor, a reminder that these summer events can tell you a lot about how a player fits when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]