CALGARY – With the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement, veterans who have played 100 or more NHL games will play in no more than two of the four preseason games for each team. The new rule sent another young squad to Calgary to post another preseason victory, this one a 4-2 road victory.
Seattle scored two in the first period at the hands of defenseman Ty Nelson and forward Jagger Firkus. The similarly young Flames halved the lead by the end of the first 20 minutes. The hosts tied matters early in the third period, but centerman Logan Morrison cinched a winning weekend when he tipped in a shot by a sliding Tyson Jugnauth. Jon-Randall Avon scored an empty-net goal to close down any late Calgary comeback.
Philipp Grubauer posted 15 saves and surrendered one goal while prospect and AHL star Nikke Kokko finished with some vital saves after giving up a third-period score he no doubt would like back.
Winterton Sees First Action
Forward Ryan Winterton played 68 games for the Kraken last season, averaging 12 minutes of ice time but closer to 14 minutes per contest after the February Olympics break. He steadily earned the trust of the coaching staff led by new head man Lane Lambert, starting with a strong training camp that helped him make the roster from opening night.
Winterton is no longer an NHL rookie, logging 89 Kraken games since he was drafted in the third round of the Kraken’s inaugural draft in 2021. In his first season as a pro, he was a major contributor with American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley, scoring 22 goals in 58 regular season games and notching seven goals and five assists as the Firebirds won a second straight Western Conference championship in 2024.
Sunday night in a preseason matchup against Calgary, the 23-year-old proved a veteran presence; only John Hayden (272 games, age 31) and Mitchell Stephens (123, age 29) have logged more NHL appearances among skaters.
Making-a-Case Studies: Nyman, Firkus, Nelson
No matter what Kraken roster cuts are announced Monday, young winger Jani Nyman made a strong case for a bright future with Seattle. He scored the opening goal in Saturday’s preseason home win over Vancouver and shined in all three zones.
“Jani played very well,” said Lane Lambert Saturday post-game. “I thought there were certain things Jani did in certain areas of the game in which he made good plays. He made some good wall plays [at the offensive end]. He did some good things down in our zone.”
Sunday night, he was active again, including logging a secondary assist on the night’s first Kraken goal. Lane Lambert said earlier this week he thought Nyman has gained a step in his skating and there appears to be no debate on that.
Jagger Firkus looked good in the 2026 Prospects Showcase Sept. 12 and 13, generating a multitude of scoring chances for teammates and himself. He picked up a pair of assists in Abbotsford, BC, versus Vancouver prospects.
He was back at it Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena, delivering another solid three-zone effort and manifesting that strong forechecking leads to offensive opportunities. Sunday, Firkus cracked the goals column of the scoresheet, taking a spot-on pass from Jon-Randall Avon to send an undeniable laser past Calgary’s NHL-tested young goaltender Devin Cooley. Oscar Fisker Molgaard started the scoring sequence for the secondary assist.
The Firkus goal paced Seattle to a two-goal lead in the first preseason game in what will be the last season of the Saddledome as Calgary’s home arena. Earlier in the period, the 22-year-old defenseman scored his second goal of the weekend, turning a Logan Morrison assist into a shot and score that once again can be branded NHL-quality for the second time in 24 hours.
Lane Lambert said Saturday night he has liked Nelson since watching in training camp and in an Edmonton preseason road game last September. It’s easy to see why, especially when you consider that both goals are examples of how Kraken defensemen can join the offensive zone attack in Lambert’s system. Nelson is not a stranger to goal scoring. He led all AHL Firebird defenders in goals last season with 11. Only six other AHL D-men scored more goals during the 2025-26 season.
Another callout for Nelson. Later first period, the AHL first-pair defender calmly and skillfully broke up a potential mini-breakaway at the top of the defensive zone to spare starting Philipp Grubauer the need to make a save on a Grade-A chance. Mark down Nelson and the aforementioned Firkus and Nyman as a trio that made lasting impressions this weekend.
Second Time Around
With Lambert and most of his coaching staff back for a second season, there is a significant uptick in familiarity with the systems of play. The coaches have made some tweaks, most noticeable in neutral zone formations with or without the puck.
“I think it's been valuable for everybody [coaches and players],” said Lambert, answering a question from popular Kraken Hockey Network analyst Alison Lukan in the media scrum. “With a short training camp, it helps for sure. There's an expectation that we have as a staff. We know what each other wants and certainly the players know what that expectation is as well. It’s nice to come in and have a little bit of comfortability having been here for a year.”
Lambert offered an example of how underscoring the systems of play helped produce a successful weekend: “We're really focused on our forecheck right now, putting some heat on. [Even with a late lead], we're not sitting back. We have to continue to go. We have to continue to pressure. You saw a lot of moments when our defensemen were down in the corner in the offensive zone, keeping pucks alive. It's up to our forwards to back them up. From that perspective, I was happy with the pressure that we put on.
