The Seattle Kraken are off to a fast start, and the part that’s turning heads isn’t just the record.
At 4-2-0, Seattle already has a 5-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday, but the real story through the first stretch of the 2026-27 season has been what the Kraken are doing on offense. As the regular season nears the two-week mark, Seattle is tied for the second-most goals in the NHL with 26.
Jared McCann and Kaapo Kakko are leading the way in points, but the surge has not been limited to just those two. Chandler Stephenson, Vince Dunn, Frederick Gaudreau and Jordan Eberle have all chipped in as well, giving the Kraken a more balanced scoring look early on.
If that production holds, Seattle could put itself in position for its second playoff berth in franchise history.
That early offensive burst was a topic on Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, where Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton broke down whether the Kraken can keep this up.
Yaremchuk admitted he had been skeptical of Seattle’s attack, saying, “I’m someone whose been guilty of looking at this team and thinking, “they’re very vanilla, they’re never going to score enough to compete,” all my usual critiques.”
But the numbers have changed the conversation. Yaremchuk pointed out that Seattle is tied with the Colorado Avalanche for second in goals for across the league, and noted that the Kraken have actually scored more five-on-five goals-per-60 than the Edmonton Oilers.
“This Kraken team … I’ll eat my words, and I know we’re early. I’ve been right on a few things this year, but I’ve been wrong about the Kraken. The fact that they’re this competitive is surprising.”
Hutton said the structure of Seattle’s game may be part of why the start has come together so quickly.
“They’re one of those teams that I think, as a coach, when you know who you are and your identity, you can get to it quicker. Sometimes, when you’re filled with superstars, there’s this accountability on stars to just score and finish.
But right now, if you’re getting guys to play inside their role and be predictable, you’re playing Seattle Kraken hockey. My concern with this team is, yes this is a great start, but as we start to tighten up as the year goes on, not having those superstar players could be the difference maker between them making the playoffs or not.”
In Other News...
Kraken Just Proved How Dangerous This Road Trip Could Be
The Krakens road trip got a little more interesting Tuesday night in Philadelphia, where Seattle handled a hard-earned 3-2 shootout win over the Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It was the kind of result that can steady a team early in the season, especially with Seattle moving to 5-2-0 and showing it can find a way through a tight game away from home.
Philipp Grubauer gave the Kraken the backbone they needed, coming up with key stops and keeping Philadelphia in check during the shootout as the Flyers dropped their eighth straight. The game stayed tense deep into the extra frame before Seattle finally separated itself, a reminder that this trip could hinge on a few moments just like this. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Win Showed A Deeper Threat Than Fans Realized
Lane Lambert reached a milestone behind the bench in a recent Kraken victory, and the win had the kind of spread-out scoring that can make a team look a lot deeper than a one-night highlight would suggest. Seattle got contributions all over the lineup, with 11 players finding the net and 16 collecting points, while Philipp Grubauer turned in a solid night in goal and Ville Ottavainen added a memorable touch by scoring his first NHL goal.
Bobby McMann also left his mark on the game in a way Seattle will not mind revisiting, giving the matchup another layer beyond the usual box score read. His night included a franchise note that speaks to how quickly he has settled in, and he later delivered the finish that decided it in the shootout, the kind of result that can quiet plenty of questions about how far this Kraken group can stretch its offense. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Effort Finally Showed Up But One Problem Isnt Going Away
The Flyers finally brought the kind of edge and push their season had been missing when they met the Kraken, and for once the effort matched the urgency. After opening 2026-27 with seven straight losses, a franchise-record slide, Philadelphia at least gave itself a chance by digging out of a two-goal third-period hole and turning a game that had been drifting into something far more competitive. Goaltender Dan Vlada steadied the group with a string of important stops, helping keep the game within reach long enough for the comeback to even matter.
Seattle still left with the result, and that is the part Philadelphia cannot escape no matter how much better it looked for stretches. The Flyers are now winless through eight games, and while the response against the Kraken suggested there is still some life in the room, the larger problem remains unchanged: better effort is only a start when the standings already show a season in danger of slipping away fast. [Read more 🡒]