The Seattle Kraken keep finding themselves in the same familiar lane: not bad enough to collapse, not dangerous enough to scare the division. In a Pacific Division that’s split cleanly between the haves and the have-nots, that kind of in-between existence leaves Seattle stuck in hockey purgatory.
That’s the issue for a team that has now spent five seasons as an expansion franchise and still only has one playoff appearance to point to. Four years ago, the Kraken made noise by beating the Avalanche in the first round, but that moment now feels like the high-water mark.
Since then, they’ve been solid, stubborn and mostly ordinary. Not a disaster.
Not a threat. Just there.
The roster reflects that. Seattle has a decent blue line, a goalie situation that never seems to settle at the right moment, and a pile of useful forwards who fit neatly into a support role.
The problem is that the Kraken keep asking those kinds of players to carry more than they should. Chandler Stephenson, Kaapo Kakko and Mackie Samoskevich all look like strong complementary pieces, but Seattle needs them to do star-level damage.
That’s a tough ask in a division with the Golden Knights and Oilers, and even the Sharks looming ahead of the Canucks on the path back to relevance.
Jordan Eberle’s 55 points say plenty about where the Kraken are at. A 36-year-old leading the team in scoring is useful, sure, but it also tells you the ceiling isn’t especially high. Jason Botterill tried to change that by going big in trade talks with Dallas for Jason Robertson, but the move never got off the ground after Robertson turned down an eight-year deal worth $15 million annually.
So Seattle kept moving around the edges instead. Bobby McMann got a six-year, $34 million extension after putting up 14 points in 18 games following his trade deadline arrival from Toronto.
The Kraken also brought in Curtis Douglas on a two-year deal, a signing the Canucks won’t love for sentimental reasons after his short run as a fan favourite in Vancouver. But Douglas is not the kind of addition that solves Seattle’s scoring problem.
There’s also a prospect story here, though it hasn’t broken the way the Kraken hoped. Matty Beniers still hasn’t fully matched the promise of his 57-point rookie season four years ago.
Shane Wright has reportedly asked for a change of scenery after a 27-point season, with Vancouver rumoured as his preferred landing spot. At the same time, some of the younger names have made real progress, including Berkly Catton and Ryan Winterton.
Even with that mixed picture, the broader problem remains unchanged: Seattle doesn’t have enough game-breakers. Until that changes, the Kraken are likely to keep living in the middle of the Pacific, with fans growing impatient and the franchise still searching for a true long-term answer. The expensive tickets in Seattle only make the wait feel sharper.
One hopeful projection has Matty Beniers finally turning the corner with a breakout 70-point season, after the promise of his Calder Trophy-winning 2023 campaign.
The Canucks and Kraken will meet four times in 2026-27: November 19 at Climate Pledge Arena, December 30 at Rogers Arena, January 3, 2027 at Climate Pledge Arena, and January 14, 2027 at Rogers Arena.
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