The Seattle Kraken (34-37-11) have been stuck in mid-tier lottery territory for the past couple of seasons. After making the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they defeated the defending-champion Colorado Avalanche, they haven’t made the postseason since.
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The Kraken looked like they would make it, They took advantage of a top-heavy Western Conference to enter the final Wild Card spot with a few weeks to go in the season. Unfortunately, they slipped at the end of the season. They went 4-8-2 in March and 2-7-0 in April, missing the playoffs by 11 points.
That resulted in Ron Francis stepping down from his job as president of hockey operations. With Jason Botterill taking full control of the team, he’ll get to execute his vision in a critical offseason.
Will the Kraken embrace a full rebuild?
The Kraken have been in no-man’s land for a few seasons. They’ve been bad enough to earn top-ten picks, but not bad enough to earn the No. 1 pick.
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They earned the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL draft and selected Matty Beniers, but while he’s been a solid two-way center, he’s not a game-changer. Neither is anyone else on the roster; the Kraken are tough to play against, but they don’t have a game-changer on the roster, like Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar.
Seattle’s best course of action to potentially get that game-changer is to commit fully to a rebuild. They have the No. 6 best lottery odds, but unless they win the lottery, they’ll need to do more to start their rebuild.
Are Jared McCann and Vince Dunn up for sale?
A full-scale rebuild will start with the trade of their two biggest names: Jared McCann and Vince Dunn. McCann is a testy center with great scoring ability, while Vince Dunn is one of the top offensive defenseman.
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Both of them would get significant value. McCann could solidify the top six for the Carolina Hurricanes, who desperately need a second-line center behind Sebastian Aho. Dunn would be a great addition to a team like the San Jose Sharks, who desperately need defensemen to get over the hump.
Both of these teams still have their first-round picks, and the Sharks have a lot more in their prospect pool than that. Trading both of them would be tough for the fanbase, but it would get the Kraken what they need to land an elite game-changing prospect in the future.
What will happen to Shane Wright?
Another trade candidate is Shane Wright. Unlike McCann and Dunn, Wright, still 22, would be in the perfect age range to grow with the team during a rebuild.
Unfortunately, Wright is in desperate need of a scenery change. Lane Lambert has switched him from line to line, and he was unable ot generate much chemistry with his line mates. He earned just 27 points thorugh 74 games after a 44-point season in 2024-25.
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He still has enough talent to develop into a first-liner, even with his regression this season. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s with the Kraken. I could see a team like the Chicago Blackhawks or Philadelphia Flyers taking a flyer on him. Giving him up would be less than he’s worth, but Wright may need a change of scenery to achieve his full potential.