Kraken
A preview of the 2025-26 NHL season for the Anaheim Ducks, including predictions from VSiN NHL Expert Jonathan Davis. For all other NHL team previews, check out our NHL page.
Key Additions: Lane Lambert (head coach), Mason Marchment, Freddie Gaudreau, Ryan Lindgren, Matt Murray
Key Departures: Dan Bylsma (head coach), Andre Burakovsky, Mikey Eyssimont
Overview
After making the playoffs and reaching the century mark in points in just their second season, the Kraken have gone backwards with 81 and 76-point seasons. Dan Bylsma, who led Seattle’s top minor league team to back-to-back trips to the Calder Cup Finals, was fired after just one season. Lane Lambert takes over as the new bench boss. He does have prior NHL head coaching experience with the Islanders.
Offense
Seattle’s offense is very pedestrian and doesn’t have a player that strikes fear into the opposition. Jaden Schwartz led the team with a career-high 26 goals, but finished with only 49 points. Since scoring 40 goals in 2022-23, Jared McCann has slipped to 29 and 22 goals in the last two seasons. Matty Beniers, the second overall pick in 2021, has had two 20-goal seasons sandwiched around his 15-goal season in 2023-24. In his first season with the Kraken, Brandon Montour set a team record for defensemen with 18 goals.
One betting trend that caught my eye with the Kraken is that even though they have finished 16th and 28th in offense in the last two seasons, when they win games, they generally score at least four goals. Last season, they scored four goals or more in 26 of their 35 victories (74%) and the season prior it was 26 of the 34 wins (76%).
Defense
Their 262 goals against had them ranked 24 out 32 teams and 26th when it came to goals at 5-on-5. The struggles on defense helps to explain why Kraken games ranked ninth in combined goals scored at 6.24. Even though they finished in the top 10 in this category, only 40 of their games went Over the total. No team gave up the first goal of the game more than the 47 times Seattle did last season. Their slow starts help to explain their -31 goal differential in the first period, trailing only the Sharks (-39).
Goaltending
Goaltending was a weak point, particularly in back-to-back games, where they went 0-12-0 with an .867 SV%. They were the only team last season to lose all their games in the second half of a back-to-back, losing 11 of the 12 games by two goals or more, scoring two goals or fewer in 11 of the 12 and allowing four goals or more in eight of those games. Joey Daccord is the clear No. 1 goaltender, bolstered by his invitation to Team USA’s orientation camp for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and was given a new five-year, $25 million contract. Philipp Grubauer had just eight wins in 26 starts last season. Seattle is on the hook for two more years at just under $6 million per season. The Kraken are hoping the hiring of a new goalie coach can get Grubauer back on track.
Player to Watch
After a slow start to the season and spending some time watching games from the press box, the Kraken’s second first-round draft pick, Shane Wright, finished with 11 goals and 23 points in the team’s final 33 games. Wright’s 44 points included 13 power-play points (third on Seattle) in his first full NHL season.
Outlook
It may be another “sleepless” season in Seattle for the Kraken and their fans. I don’t see them finding their way back to the playoffs and there isn’t a team or player prop that gets me excited.
Team Futures
Regular Season Points: 78.5
To Make the Playoffs: +600
To Miss the Playoffs: -1000
To Win the Pacific Division: +10000
To Win the Western Conference: +10000
To Win the Stanley Cup: +20000
2024-25 Recap
Record: 35-41-6, 76 points (7th Pacific Division)
Over/Under: 40-38-4
Home Favorite: 9-9 // Home Dog: 7-14
Road Favorite: 4-3 // Road Dog: 14-20
Win Score 4 or more: 26 of 35 // Lose Give Up 4 or more: 27 of 47
Puck Line Wins: 24 of 35 // Puck Line Losses: 30 of 47
Front End Back-to-Back: 8-4 // Back End Back-to-Back: 0-12
Points Leader: Jared McCann – 61
Goal Leader: Jaden Schwartz – 26
Assist Leader: Jared McCann – 39
Shots on Goal Leader: Brandon Montour – 231
Blocked Shots Leader: Jamie Oleksiak – 159
Depth Chart
Forwards
Jaden Schwartz / Matty Beniers / Kappo Kakko
Jared McCann / Chandler Stephenson / Mason Marchment
Berkly Catton / Shane Wright / Jordan Eberle
Eeli Tolvanen / Freddie Gaudreau / Jani Nyman
Defense
Vince Dunn / Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak / Brandon Montour
Ryan Lindgren / Ryker Evans
Goalies
Joey Daccord / Philipp Grubauer
Power Play Unit 1
Jaden Schwartz, Matty Beniers, Jordan Eberle, Vince Dunn, Jared McCann
