No Pain, Lots of Potential for Gain

Kraken head coach Lane Lambert was upbeat and smiling after his team’s first official day of training camp Sept. 17. He was happy with the pace and energy. But it’s arguable Seattle’s all-time leading scorer, Jared McCann, was even happier stepping off the ice. That’s because he wasn’t feeling the chronic pain in his lower body that caused him to miss 30 games last season with multiple issues.  

McCann has admitted publicly the pain and post-game effects spilled into many of the 52 games he played during the 2025-26 hockey year. The team shut him down toward season-end once the Kraken were officially eliminated from playoff contention.  

Despite the injury difficulties, the 30-year-old winger still notched 20 goals, hitting that mark each of the Kraken’s five seasons. He scored 27 during the inaugural season and 40 during the second season when the franchise fell one Game 7 short of the Western Conference final. In all, he has 138 of his 206 NHL goals with Seattle. His previous high before the expansion draft was 16 during each of his last two years with Pittsburgh.  

After a clean-up procedure this summer and targeted training, McCann feels at 100 percent with no pain and full capacity for conditioning. Importantly, he is back performing plyometric exercises he finds vital to leg strength. Those post-game workouts were effectively off-limits most of last season.  

“[McCann] looked fast out there today,” said Lambert after Day 1 of camp. “He’s a guy that we count on. I see his production when he’s healthy. He’s a guy we need from that standpoint.” 

Heading into the regular season, McCann is projected to be on what could be considered the Kraken’s top line with Matty Beniers centering his veteran teammate, with whom he’s played with a lot, plus new Kraken teammate but familiar onetime University of Michigan face Mackie Samoskevich. The line generated multiple scoring chances in the team’s second-to-last preseason game before Samoskevich was placed on injured reserve with an upper body injury and day-to-day timeline for recovery. He’ll miss at least the season opener for now but is expected back soon after. The team had viewed Samoskevich’s playmaking chops as a good fit with McCann’s shooting touch.

Good Vibes and Optimism  

Now 10 days into his sixth Seattle training camp, McCann said team vibes are strong, in part because the traditional pre-camp captain skates were lively and highly attended.  Last Thursday’s bevy of brawls with Calgary triggered by a hit on Samoskevich certainly amped up the Kraken’s readiness for games that count starting Oct. 1 with a two-game road trip to Calgary on Thursday and Edmonton on Saturday before Sunday’s home opener and quick rematch against the Flames.  

“Because camp is shorter, guys were a little bit more conscious of “we’ve got to be good to go when camp starts,” said McCann. “There was no easing into it this time. It’s more of, “OK, Day 1, we're doing systems, we're getting ready for the regular season, right?” 

The former Vancouver first-round pick (No. 24 overall in 2014) is 10 games short of appearing in 800 NHL games. Embarking on his 12th full season in the league, McCann has aspirations to contribute in all zones, especially providing the passes, shots and net-front presence so he and Kraken teammates can put pucks in the net. 

“I want to contribute offensively as much as I can,” said McCann. “I am looking to create every single night. It's not always going to be sunshine. There are variables with that. But I feel like when I'm on my game, I'm creating a lot out of nothing.” 

Netting Goals, Getting to the Net 

McCann’s versatility and familiarity with many teammates is a plus for Lambert and his staff’s strategic line shuffles that game outcomes and/or injuries might dictate over the course of an 84-game season.  

“I’ve said before, I can play with anybody on this team,” said McCann.. “I've done it in the past. Whoever I'm playing with, we’re going to communicate. We're going you to know what we expect of one another. You try to be consistent every night. That's the biggest thing. I can't go two games without a shot. When we’re playing a tight team, whip the puck to the net and then get inside to score.  

“We’re not always going to make the pretty plays... It's  hard to score on goalies from the outside, especially in this league, shooting through defensemen, all that stuff.”

Summer of Recovery, Dash of Fun 

McCann’s post-procedure offseason workout plan was purposeful and dogged, but he and his wife, Valerie, did mix it a bit of relaxation by attending goaltender Philipp Grubauer’s wedding in Europe. He deemed the nuptials and all celebrations as “incredible and beautiful.” A little less relaxing was one rental vehicle journey from Venice, where the McCanns started their trip with Kraken original Yanni Gourde and his wife, Marie-Andree.  

“We all had a great time at the wedding,” said McCann. “We rented a car for the four of us. We didn’t know this, but a mid-sized SUV in Europe is like a compact car in Canada. So Yanni rented a mid-sized SUV, right? We packed four suitcases, four people into – I don't even know how to explain it – what looked and felt like a compact [sedan].  Marie, Valerie and I were sitting with suitcases on our laps for like a two-hour drive, two and a half-hour drive. We stopped for food just to get the suitcases off us for bit.”