National hockey media has not exactly been handing out love notes to the Kraken this week.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic added to the pile, describing Seattle center Shane Wright as “vanilla” and Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Eduard Sale as “low-compete.” Wright was Seattle’s first-round pick in 2022, while Sale went in the first round in 2023.
That came after Adam Proteau of The Hockey News had already labeled the Kraken “a dog’s breakfast.”
Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff then went even harder on Seattle, arguing the team “hold the ‘pull my hair out and yell, WHY?’ championship belt.”
He wrote, “Nothing this franchise does makes any sense to me. Seattle was going nowhere at the trade deadline yet tried to act as a buyer.
“Refusing to quit their strategy of loading up on middle-six forwards and middle-pair defensemen, the Kraken are never bad enough to rock their foundation. The Kraken epitomize mediocrity, lacking an elite player at any position, and re-signing (Bobby) McMann, after extending Jordan Eberle suggests they truly don’t understand how to win in this league. They’re chasing quick-fix, fringe-tier competitiveness rather than constructing a sustainable winner.”
Proteau also took another swing at Seattle in a separate ranking of NHL head coaches. Lane Lambert, hired by the Kraken in 2025, did not finish last, but he did land next-to-last.
“The Kraken hired Lambert in 2025, but he couldn’t push Seattle into the playoffs last season, as the Kraken finished in sixth place in the weak Pacific Division. This follows one-and-a-half seasons in which Lambert coached the New York Islanders, and Lambert didn’t produce much success on Long Island. He hasn’t developed Seattle youngster Shane Wright, and his inability to turn the Kraken into a playoff team is a major failure for Lambert.
“There’s significant pressure on Lambert to develop talent in 2026-27, steer the Kraken into the post-season, or both. If he can’t do that, Lambert will be fired sooner rather than later.”
Maybe the summer heat has made these guys grumpy. If you’ve read this far, we direct your attention to our somewhat sunnier Seattle stories, here and here and here. On the other hand, Simmer provided his own dose of off-season reality here.
Have a great weekend, Seattle fans! Only 69 days until the start of the regular season.
In Other News...
Kraken Blue Line Has A Quiet Battle Fans Should Watch Closely
Cale Fleury is set up for a meaningful camp and preseason stretch with the Kraken, with a chance to settle into the third defensive pair and carve out a steadier NHL job. The right-shot defenseman gives Seattle some balance on a blue line that has leaned on older veterans and faces some turnover, and his physical style adds a different look to a group that needs dependable depth as the season approaches.
Fleury is also in the second year of his contract, which makes this a timely proving ground for a player still trying to turn opportunity into permanence. He has reached 100 NHL games and has shown enough edge to keep himself in the conversation, but the real question for Seattle is whether he can hold that spot if the roster shifts again before opening night. [Read more 🡒]