Seattle Kraken fan guide: Five do’s and don’ts as 2026-27 season begins

The Kraken’s 2026-27 season begins Thursday night with a road game against the Calgary Flames. Seattle has missed the playoffs three straight seasons and little is expected of this one as well.

Here are some gentle suggestions on how to approach this season of Seattle hockey.

Don’t: Jump the gun

What we’re not going to do this year is be fooled by a hot start.

Yes, the Kraken went 3-1 in the preseason, against two of the teams most pundits placed below them this season. Not to be a killjoy, but the rebuilding Calgary Flames’ B-squad took nearly the entire Kraken NHL lineup to a shootout. Seattle then lost to the worst team in the NHL last season by a significant margin in the preseason finale.

The Kraken looked good occasionally, but the preseason isn’t an indicator of future success, even when the competition is solid.

Coach Lane Lambert’s squad got off to a deceivingly good start last season when a franchise-best 5-2-3 start had them third in the Pacific Division. They were 11-7-6 on Dec. 1 and still sitting in a wild-card spot, before things fell apart.

That could very well happen again, especially since the Kraken treated the preseason more like a dress rehearsal for the veterans than an audition for the prospects. In a shortened, four-game training camp, Lambert quickly sent down the young guys and fielded his favorites the rest of the way.

There were, appropriately, no surprises. Except — sort of — for defenseman Ville Ottavainen, who will probably be a healthy scratch, and Jake O’Brien, who’s on injured reserve, none of the prospects are still around for opening night.
A largely familiar roster, which got a head start on gelling during a shortened preseason? Could provide an edge … temporarily. The Kraken’s enduring mediocrity should catch up to them sooner rather than later.

The Kraken’s start turned heads last season, but the underlying numbers told a different story. Helped significantly by a dreadful division, the group played better than its bones should have allowed, for longer expected. But it blew up down the stretch. It was the reoccurring issues — can’t score, can’t put shots on net, can’t get the special teams going. There’s no reason to think there won’t be similar issues on the NHL team with the least amount of turnover.

Do: look forward to seeing youth creep in

It was a bummer to see Oscar Fisker Molgaard head down to the minors. Seattle is loaded with low-scoring veterans, and Lambert — like both of his predecessors — isn’t one to shelve them for the sake of a prospect’s development. His job is to procure wins, and this is his vision.

Molgaard would have been healthy scratched in Seattle, and he’s better served playing with the Kraken’s top affiliate in Coachella Valley.

“Thought he had a great training camp,” Lambert said. “He’s a very trustworthy player, and he’s a great option for us.”

The same goes for Jani Nyman, who needed to work on his play away from the puck in order to impress Lambert, and the coach said he did.

The youth movement isn’t done, just slow moving. If the Kraken bottom out quickly, let’s hope they speed it up and get guys like O’Brien, Molgaard and Nyman into the lineup.

Don’t: Underestimate Bobby McMann

The Kraken’s big offseason pickup, Mackie Samoskevich, was injured in the preseason and is set to miss the opener, at least. He had been practicing with the Kraken’s top line alongside Michigan teammate Matty Beniers and the most reliable scorer throughout the franchise’s short history, Jared McCann.

Meanwhile McMann, 30, has a new contract in hand — six years, $34.5 million, as a reward for his 10 goals in 18 games after the trade deadline. He’s a rich man now, and the Kraken hope he won’t kick up his heels. He looked good in preseason action.

That scoring tear after he joined the Kraken isn’t how it will go all season, but let’s see if McMann has a few of those in him in 2026-27.

Do: Watch Berkly Catton’s growth

On a mostly stagnant roster, Catton is a wild card, and one to watch.
He’s only 20. His first season in the NHL was rough on him, mentally and physically. His seven goals and 17 points didn’t exactly ignite the rookie-of-the-year debate. He’ll tell you he had chances, but for whatever reason, couldn’t bury them.

He was a prolific scorer for the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs before and after the Kraken made him the eighth overall pick in 2024. The pressure is off, somewhat, heading into this season. He knows he’s making the opening night roster, who he’s playing with and what’s expected of him. The Kraken need him to take a step forward, at least.

Don’t: expect them to tank

The elephant in the room: It’s not looking good for the Kraken. They’re in the NHL’s mushy middle with no obvious way out. Not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough for the best odds at the first overall pick, which will likely turn into former Everett Silvertip, Landon DuPont. The Kraken will have to get very lucky either way, and luck hasn’t been on their side.

The NHL burns through head coaches and Lambert’s job is on the line. The Kraken’s long-term outlook is others’ concern. The locker room is doing its best, and that’s just the way it is.

Maybe — and for the health of the franchise, this could be a very good thing — their best isn’t nearly good enough. They’ll be in contention for DuPont right away, alongside a handful of teams who are actively rebuilding. If you’re rooting for that outcome, you’re not alone.