The Seattle Kraken are past the point where progress can be measured only by good vibes and promising stretches. After three straight seasons without the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 2026-27 campaign needs to bring actual results, not just hints that the arrow is pointing up.
That doesn’t mean Seattle has to jump straight into contender status. But it does mean the expectations have changed.
The roster has been built around a young core, and the additions around it were made with one purpose: make this team harder to play against and more competitive. Now the Kraken have to show it.
The clearest bar is the playoffs. Seattle has not qualified since the 2022-23 season, and another year on the outside would make it even tougher to say the rebuild, or build, is truly headed the right way.
The Kraken do not need to win a series for the season to count as a success. Just getting back into the field would matter.
At this stage, hanging around the postseason race late should feel like the minimum, not the goal.
That path starts with the offense. Last season, Seattle managed only 224 goals, which ranked 28th in the NHL.
That kind of production puts a team in a bind from the start. The Kraken do not need to become an offensive machine overnight, but they do need to get closer to league average.
If they can push that total into the 240s or better and spread the scoring around more consistently, their playoff chances should rise with it.
Matty Beniers is a big part of that equation. He has already become a key piece of Seattle’s future, but the next step is becoming the true No. 1 center the Kraken drafted him to be.
He finished the 2025-26 season with 50 points, including 20 goals. Solid, yes.
Enough for where Seattle wants to go, not quite. A 60-point season would be a fair target, but the bigger ask is that he drives play against top competition and gives the Kraken dependable offense night after night.
Entering his fifth full NHL season, it is time for that potential to show up in the numbers.
Seattle also needs one of its younger players to break through. Berkly Catton, Shane Wright, Jani Nyman and Ryker Evans are all in position to matter this season, but the Kraken do not need all of them to arrive at once.
One legitimate leap would be enough. Wright or Evans would make particular sense, with Wright entering his second season and Evans his third.
A breakout from any one of them would strengthen the roster now and give Seattle another real piece to build around.
And beyond all of that, the Kraken have to become a team the Pacific Division’s better clubs actually respect. It is not enough to simply be in the playoff race; Seattle needs to look like it belongs there. That means playing better against the division’s strongest teams and showing more consistency over the full season.
The Kraken do not have to be a Stanley Cup contender in 2026-27. But they do need to prove they are finally moving in that direction.
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 🡒]