The Kraken needed a fresh body up front, and Jani Nyman got the call.
Seattle announced today that it has recalled the winger from AHL Coachella Valley after Jared McCann went down with a lower-body injury. The team had an open roster spot, so no additional move was required to bring Nyman back up.
Nyman is still just 22 and is playing out the final season of his entry-level deal. He’s already logged NHL time in each of his first two pro seasons. He appeared in 12 games in 2024-25, then skated in 28 more with Seattle last season, putting up four goals and three assists while averaging 10:34 of ice time per night.
Even so, he didn’t crack the opening-night roster out of training camp last month. Instead, he opened the year with the Firebirds and wasted little time making noise there.
Through nine AHL games, Nyman has piled up nine goals and two assists. That continues a recent run of production that’s seen him top the 20-goal mark at that level in each of the last two seasons, despite the NHL call-ups along the way.
McCann’s timeline remains unclear. Seattle is still evaluating the injury, and there’s no update yet on how long he might be sidelined.
The veteran forward has started this season well, sitting tied for fourth on the club with three goals and five assists in 11 games. It’s a solid opening for McCann in a contract year, with unrestricted free agency awaiting him this summer. He’ll be looking for a major bump from his current $5 million salary.
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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 🡒]