The Kraken’s luck was so-so in Tuesday’s NHL Draft Lottery. Seattle didn’t see its combination of winning ping-pong-ball numbers in the two draws to decide which teams pick first and second among 11 contenders.
But Lottery winner Toronto was fifth in the original order, just one ahead of the Kraken. The Maple Leafs' win kept Seattle at No. 6 after the first drawing. Then, division rival San Jose won the rights to the second overall pick, moving the Kraken down one spot to No. 7 overall.
“To me, anywhere in the top 10 this year, you're getting a very good player,” said Kraken general manager and executive vice president Jason Botterill. “At the very top of the draft, there are some high-end scoring wingers, then you have defensemen and centers, right? That's what we're all craving for in all our teams.”
The top eight prospects, per most experts, include forwards Gavin McKenna (NCAA Penn State) and Swedish pro league star Ivar Stenberg. Most experts consider these two players at the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, not necessarily McKenna, who was rated No. 1 going into the season.
The next six prospects in most respected mock drafts include five defenseman and one center. Latvian Alberts Smits, who played for Munchen in Germany’s top pro league, is highly regarded, same for D-men Chase Reid (OHL Sault Ste. Marie), Keaton Verhoeff (NCAA North Dakota), Carson Carels (WHL Prince George) and Daxon Rudolph (WHL Prince Albert). Brantford center Caleb Malhotra, teammate and roommate of Kraken 2025 No. 8 overall pick Jake O’Brien, rounds out the top eight as identified by draft experts.
Along with the No. 7 selection, the Kraken have a second first-round pick as a result of the Yanni Gourde-Oliver Bjorkstrand trade with Tampa Bay. The final order of the draft will be finalized as the Stanley Cup Playoffs unfold.
“Our scouts have done an excellent job throughout the year attacking this draft with us having two first-round picks,” said Botterill. “Now we have to focus on dialing in pick number seven ... Our scouts have watched all these defensemen. They're from all over the world, right? You’ve got some Europeans and kids from North America. They’re all very talented players.
With the aforementioned and O’Brien playing and living together, the Kraken scouting staff has seen plenty of Malhotra, who tallied 84 points (29 goals, 55 assists) in 67 games, then 26 points (13 G, 13 A) in 15 playoff games.
“I would just say we've seen him a ton watching Bradford so much this year,” said Botterill. “He continued to improve as a player throughout the year and had a great playoff run.”
The night’s lottery outcome marked the Kraken’s third-best t opportunity to pick a top prospect.
The highest pick was center Matty Beniers, the franchise’s first-ever pick and second overall draft choice in 2021. Beniers won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2023 as NHL Rookie of the Year. For what it’s worth, Seattle stalwart defenseman Adam Larsson was picked fourth in 2011.
Fellow centerman Shane Wright was selected at No. 4 in 2022. In the 2023 draft, the Kraken selected Eduard Sale at No. 20 as a first-round pick in that spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Over the most recent two drafts, No. 8 was the Kraken’s spot with Berkly Catton the choice in 2024 and Jake O’Brien last June.
