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Kraken 2026-27 off-season review: A quiet summer leaves Seattle worse off

Photo credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

By Cynthia Ryley Delaney

Sep 27, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 26, 2026, 17:18 EDT

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It was a quiet off-season for the National Hockey League’s most mediocre team, the Seattle Kraken.

After finishing the 2025-26 season with just 79 points, well out of the playoff picture, the Kraken went and basically did nothing. It looks like the Kraken will once again be on the outside looking in, basically the status quo of the team from the Pacific Northwest since joining the league in 2021-22.

Let’s take a look at what the Kraken did this off-season.

What major acquisitions did the Kraken make this off-season?

The Kraken’s most notable move was a trade, sending the 25th overall pick and a 2027 second-rounder to the Florida Panthers for Mackie Samoskevich, then a restricted free agent. A few days later, the Panthers sent that first to the Ottawa Senators in a package for Brady Tkachuk.

Samoskevich was selected 24th overall by the Panthers in 2021, becoming an NHL regular in 2024-25. Over 72 games, he scored 15 goals and 31 points in 72 games, then added 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games for the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champions.

Because he was a restricted free agent at the time of the trade, the Kraken signed the 23-year-old to a three-year deal worth a cap hit of $3.85-million, making him a restricted free agent once again when his contract expires following the 2028-29 season.

Bobby McMann also earned an extension, signing a six-year deal worth $5.75 million just a week before he was set to enter free agency. The Wainwright, Alta. product scored 10 goals and 14 points in 18 games following his trade to the Kraken, as he totalled 29 goals and 46 points in 78 games last season.

Moreover, the Kraken re-signed Ville Ottavainen to a one-year deal worth $850,000, the same contract Swedish netminder Victor Östman received. Jacob Meleanson, a 23-year-old winger, signed a three-year deal with an annual cap hit of $1.45 million.

The only notable unrestricted free agent that the Kraken brought in was Curtis Douglas, and that’s mainly because the 26-year-old stands at 6-foot-9, 242 lbs, tied for the tallest player in NHL history. Last season, he split his season between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks, scoring a goal and four points in 43 games.

In the draft, the Kraken landed Chase Reid, who won’t make an impact for the team this season. However, it’s the first time in six drafts that the Kraken selected a defenceman with their first-round pick. He’ll be a good get for them in the future.

Which key players departed the Kraken this off-season?

The already mediocre Kraken lost some key players this off-season. On the blue line, Jamie Oleksiak signed a two-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks with an annual cap hit of $5 million.

Eeli Tolvanen took a step back after scoring a career-high 23 goals in 2024-25, scoring just 12 goals in 78 games last season. Late in the off-season, the Finn signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million with the New York Rangers.

Jaden Schwartz was selected in the expansion draft back in 2021, but his tenure with the Kraken came to an end this past off-season. The veteran forward signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, coming in with an annual cap hit of $3.25 million.

The Kraken’s 2026-27 outlook

While the Pacific has five teams that could realistically make it this season, just because of how weak it is shaping up to be, the Kraken won’t be one of those teams making a run. Last season, they missed the postseason by 11 points, and they somehow look even worse than they did last season.

Since their inception, the Kraken have sat in the mushy middle. They didn’t have a fantastic expansion draft like the Vegas Golden Knights, and they haven’t drafted particularly well since joining the league.

Don’t expect much to change this season, but they’ll still be worth watching when they play the Edmonton Oilers, as there’ll be fireworks after Ryan Lindgren’s hit on Evan Bouchard at the 2026 World Championship.

Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFOEdmonton, DFOCalgary, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @CynthiaRDelaney.

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