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An in-depth look at the Seattle Kraken in 2026-27: Canucks Pacific Previews

Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

By Lachlan Irvine

Aug 19, 2026, 16:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 19, 2026, 15:57 EDT

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The Pacific Division in 2026-27 is a top-heavy division made up of two groups: the Haves and the Have-Nots. The gap between the best and worst has never been larger, and the Vancouver Canucks sit firmly at the bottom. Seven teams stand in their way on the path back to contention, and we’re going to look at all of them over the next two weeks in our Pacific Previews series.

Today we’re looking at the Seattle Kraken.

If you looked up ‘mediocrity’ in the dictionary, the Seattle Kraken logo would be drawn next to it. And that’s kind of a shame.

The difference between Seattle’s first five seasons as an expansion franchise and the Vegas Golden Knights’ first five is approximately an entire Milky Way Galaxy apart. One playoff appearance four years ago is all the Kraken have to show for their work (remember when they beat the Avalanche in the first round?). By this point in Vegas’ existence, they were a year away from their first Stanley Cup; the Kraken are nowhere near that point. They haven’t been awful; they’ve just been extremely middle of the pack.

The Kraken have a lot of okay pieces, a decent blue line and one of the most confounding goalie depth charts in hockey that just never seems to find its rhythm at the right time. But what they lack most are the required game-breakers to get past the Golden Knights, Oilers or even the Sharks. Sure, they beat the Canucks three games to one in the season series last year, but that wasn’t exactly a tough feat.

Canucks/Kraken fun fact: Jake DeBrusk was a healthy scratch for the Canucks’ first matchup on December 29. Five days later in the rematch, he snapped a run of one goal in 18 games with a power play tally and added two assists in his highest-scoring game of the season.

Kraken GM Jason Botterill (and his predecessor Ron Francis) have built one of the most impressive corps of middle-six forwards ever assembled. Chandler Stephenson, Kaapo Kakko and Mackie Samoskevich would all be great as a supporting cast, but the Kraken are banking on players like them to punch well above their weight. And the results show: 36-year-old Jordan Eberle probably shouldn’t be leading a team in scoring at this point in his career, but his 55 points were more than enough. Jason Botterill attempted to remedy that by pushing Seattle’s chips in an attempted Jason Robertson trade with the Dallas Stars. But Robertson rejected an eight-year deal worth $15 million annually, and the deal fell apart, so it’s back to square one.

Beyond trading for Mackie Samoskevich, the twin brother of Vancouver Goldeneye Maddy, the Kraken’s biggest offseason signing was a six-year, $34 million extension for Bobby McMann. The former Leaf scored 14 points in 18 games with Seattle after a trade deadline move from Toronto. The Kraken also added short-lived Canucks favourite Curtis Douglas on a two-year deal in free agency. The Canucks will miss his six-foot-nine frame and good attitude in their bottom six, but he’s not a player that will provide the scoring contributions Seattle needs.

Some of the young Kraken have struggled to reach their draft potential. Matty Beniers hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations of his 57-point rookie campaign four years ago. Shane Wright has reportedly told Kraken management that he’d like a change of scenery after a disappointing 27-point season, and Vancouver(!) is rumoured to be his preferred destination. But a few lesser-heralded prospects have successfully made the NHL leap, such as forwards Berkly Catton and Ryan Winterton.

Until the Kraken find a way to get legitimate stars on the roster, they’ll be stuck in the cycle of purgatory. Fans in Seattle, who already have to deal with some of the most expensive tickets in the league, are getting restless. But until the likes of Chase Reid and Jake O’Brien are ready for NHL action, a long-term solution doesn’t seem to be in the cards any time soon, and the Kraken will likely stick near the middle of the Pacific.

Bold Prediction

Matty Beniers finally reaches the promise of his Calder Trophy-winning 2023 campaign with a breakout 70-point season.

Season Series

November 19 @ Climate Pledge Arena

December 30 @ Rogers Arena

January 3, 2027 @ Climate Pledge Arena

January 14, 2027 @ Rogers Arena

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