3 questions facing Seattle Kraken

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Seattle Kraken.

1. Can Samoskevich and McMann add enough offense?

Seattle was 28th in the NHL last season with 2.73 goals per game but is hoping a full season of Bobby McMann and the addition of fellow speedy forward Mackie Samoskevich will improve a balanced attack that relies on pace and depth.

McMann scored 10 goals in 18 games with the Kraken after being acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 6, and signed a six-year, $34.5 million contract on June 21 to stay in Seattle rather than becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The signing came on the same day Seattle acquired Samoskevich from the Florida Panthers for a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

The hope is Samoskevich, who scored 27 goals over the past two seasons despite being further down Florida’s depth chart, can have a similar impact playing a similar style.

“We were ecstatic to get Bobby McMann re-signed," general manager Jason Botterill said, "and you saw at the end of the season that a player who has speed and a good shot, how that style of play can fit in well in our system, and we think there's a lot of similar characteristics with Mackie.

"He's obviously got the speed, he's got the shot, he's learned how to play the game properly in Florida and we're certainly going to give him a bigger opportunity here. We think his style of play, of utilizing that speed, having that shot-first mentality, can fit very well into our group, similar to how Bobby did.”

2. How much can the penalty kill improve?

The Kraken penalty kill ranked 31st in the NHL last season at 72.2 percent and will need to improve in order for Seattle to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

Poor penalty killing dragged down the defensive results overall, with Seattle finishing 23rd in goals against (3.13 per game) despite a good defensive environment at even strength, even if it often played too much in its own end at times.

“Penalty killing was a problem all year,” coach Lane Lambert said after the season.

It ran below 70 percent through December 22, including a stretch in November where the Kraken gave up at least one power play goal in nine straight games, and another run of seven goals on eight chances over three games shortly after. Results improved through the middle of the season, but Seattle dropped back below 70 percent over the final month.

“From Day 1 our PK wasn't good enough, and it was frustrating for Lane,” said Botterill, singling out forwards Ryan Winterton and Jacob Melanson as young players well suited to play more short-handed minutes. “It's something our staff is continuing to evaluate and a spot where we look at our younger players having to play a much bigger role. We feel there's opportunity for growth with some of our younger players feeling more comfortable, one, in the National Hockey League, but also two, with our coaching staff on what is needed and what is demanded from them from a PK standpoint.”

3. Will one (or more) of the young forwards break out?

Botterill was excited about the possibility of seven or eight forwards 23-and-under making the opening night roster. It would certainly increase the odds that one of the many offensively inclined young forwards could have a breakout season.

“I hope it's going to be Berkly Catton from our team,” Seattle forward Kaapo Kakko said at the European Player Media Tour in Munich said when asked to pick a breakout star this season. “He's pretty skilled, good player, already played a lot of games last year, and I think he's going to be a good player, so hopefully it's starting next season.”

Catton had 225 points (92 goals, 133 assists) in 125 games with Spokane over his final two seasons in the Western Hockey League but finished with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 66 games in the NHL as a rookie last season.

Returning as a 20-year-old this season should give Catton a chance to contribute more offensively.

“Just trying to figure out the League, trying to figure out what he can do or he can't do, and now having a whole summer of physical training, we think he is going to come back and be able to raise his level that much more,” Botterill said.

Catton is not the only young Kraken forward with scoring upside.

Jani Nyman (22) and Oscar Fisker Molgaard (21) each spent time in the NHL after showing they can contribute offensively at other levels, and Jagger Firkus (22) scored 36 goals in his first two seasons in the AHL. Shane Wright is 22 and already has 78 points (36 goals, 42 assists) in 169 NHL games. Julius Miettinen (20) and Jake O'Brien (19) are both turning pro after being better than point-per-game players over three seasons of junior hockey.

Winterton (22) and Melanson (23) are already contributing further down the lineup.

It’s also easy to forget Samoskevich is still just 23. So is Matty Beniers, who already has 82 NHL goals and spent time this summer training with a group that included last season’s breakout star, San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini.

“There's a drive to get himself better, a drive to help the Kraken improve,” Botterill said, noting Beniers also attended development camp. “He's willing to go anywhere and challenge himself against other players and learn from other players too. It's one of the things I love that's being created in Seattle from a culture standpoint is just this drive to improve.”

NHL.com senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke contributed to this report