Kraken the Ice: Busting Out the Trade Machine Seeking Mid-August Upgrades

Nick Lee 8/16/26 Nick Lee 8/16/26

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Kraken the Ice: Busting Out the Trade Machine Seeking Mid-August Upgrades

It's a slow time of the year on the NHL calendar, but it's not out of the question to see trades in the heat of August as teams continue to tweak their rosters for the rapidly approaching new season.

Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee breaks out the trade machine exploring three different deals the Kraken could do to improve their team and/or add draft capital for the future in a jam-packed Kraken the Ice, including the latest idea to move former top-five pick Shane Wright to a hated rival.

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Kraken Stumble Early, Fall Short Late in 5-3 Home Finale Loss vs. Kings

Trailing 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday, the Seattle Kraken fought to cut the deficit during the second period.

Both Kings goals came from forward Quinton Byfield beating Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren to the puck around the Los Angeles blue line and scoring on a breakaway, but Seattle hoped it would benefit from a similar bounce.

A Vince Dunn shot from the point was obstructed by a teammate and swept away at 5:16, and Berkly Catton went wide from the netfront off a centering pass nearly a minute later. Ryan Winterton also had a look from a tight angle at 6:51, but it would be the Kings that struck next at 7:13.

Alex Laferriere sent a shot wide off the end boards that barely slipped under Matty Beniers’ stick and straight to Trevor Moore in the left circle. Moore’s shot off the rebound beat Kraken goalie Nikke Kokko to make it 3-0.

The Kraken brought the game back within one goal twice during the third period, but ultimately fell 5-3 to close out their 2025-26 home slate. Eliminated from playoff contention, Seattle has two more road games this season.

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Kraken Buried in ‘Unacceptable’ Loss to Blackhawks

The Seattle Kraken’s odds to make the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs were slim entering Saturday night’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.

However, facing the team with the second-worst record in the league provided Seattle an opportunity to at least extend its hopes. The Kraken can’t control the other bubble team’s results, but they can control the effort and urgency required to put themselves in the best position possible.

Even then, there wasn’t enough on Saturday night. With a 4-2 loss to a bottom-feeding Blackhawks, the Kraken all but solidified their place among them.

“I would just use one word,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “I’m disappointed.”

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Bottom-Six Propels Kraken to Big Win Over Panthers

After snapping their four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks, the Seattle Kraken’s new-look top line and trade deadline acquisition Bobby McMann’s three-point debut stole the show. Less than 24 hours later, it was the Kraken bottom-six that powered Seattle to a back-to-back sweep with a 6-2 win against the Florida Panthers at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday.

With two goals each from the third- and fourth-line, the Kraken displayed the top-to-bottom production they’ll need if they want to hold down a spot in the Western Conference playoff picture, which they reclaimed after San Jose lost 7-4 to Ottawa on Sunday.

“We need everybody,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “That’s the way it’s going to be, and certainly we need everybody and needed everybody on a second night of a back-to-back with a rested team here waiting for us, and Joey (Daccord) played well right off the start, and then our fourth line stepped up and got us going with some energy … so huge for us, but we’re a four-line hockey team, and that’s what we need out of them.”

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‘We Were Committed’: Kraken Stick to Game Plan, Earn Massive 2-1 Win vs. Hurricanes

The Seattle Kraken knew exactly what they needed to do when the Carolina Hurricanes rolled into Climate Pledge Arena on Monday.

Entering the game with the second-best record in the NHL, Carolina averaged the second-most shots on goal per game (32) and had totaled the most combined shots on goal plus shot attempts (2,347 Fenwick For).

So it wasn’t a surprise when the Hurricanes outshot Seattle 36-15 by the end of the night. What was a surprise was that the Kraken put more of theirs into the back of the net.

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Kraken Struggle to Shake Bad Habits in 5-1 Loss to Blues

It wasn’t pretty, but it was exactly what the Seattle Kraken wanted.

After allowing three tip-in goals in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars the night before, the Kraken expressed a desire, a necessity, to throw more pucks on net to create scoring chances for themselves.

“We just need to get pucks towards the net, and get a greasy one,” defenseman Ryker Evans told reporters in Dallas after Wednesday’s game. “We were just trying to make a fancy play or just pass it, and we just need to get it to the net.”

So after Seattle allowed two goals in the first 95 seconds of the second period against the St. Louis Blues to go down 3-1 on Thursday, it appeared Evans followed through when the Kraken needed someone to cut the deficit.

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‘Always Want to Get That One Back’: Wright Pulls Kraken Past Maple Leafs to Third Straight Win

Redeeming himself after an early snafu on Thursday night, Shane Wright’s two-goal effort steered the Kraken past the Maple Leafs in a convincing 5-2 win. Jumping into third place in the Pacific Division, how did Seattle get it done at Climate Pledge Arena?

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Kraken Snap Skid in 4-1 Win vs. Islanders With Stellar Penalty Kill

It was a busy night for the Kraken penalty kill against the Islanders at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, going 6-for-7 as Seattle snapped a four-game losing streak. How did the Kraken get it done after falling behind early?

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Kraken’s Second Period Burst Leads to 7-4 Win Against Bruins as Kartye Returns to Ice

With Eeli Tolvanen out, coach Lane Lambert broke up the highly productive fourth line for the Kraken on Tuesday night. It was a risky move, but one that paid off and then some as red-hot Seattle earned a 7-4 home win over Boston.

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Kraken Build ‘Rare’ Big Lead, Extend Point Streak to Six Against Predators

Continuing to play much better on the ice, the Kraken extended their points streak to six thanks to an explosive first period that had been unrivaled by the franchise in over a calendar year. How did Seattle put away Nashville swiftly at Climate Pledge Arena?

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Kraken Extend Win Streak to Four After Christmas Break, Snag 4-1 Win vs. Flyers

In the midst of a three-game winning streak, the arrival of Holiday Break appeared to come at the worst time for the Kraken. But the long break didn’t cool off Lane Lambert’s squad, which kept rolling in a big win over the Flyers at Climate Pledge Arena.

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Shane Wright, Kraken Searching For ‘Killer Instinct’ to Break Out of Slump

Despite the Seattle Kraken’s recent 1-7-1 skid, forward Shane Wright has shown some good play, and Emerald City Spectrum spoke with him and others Monday about what the team needs to do to right the ship.

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Kraken Forward Jani Nyman Eager to Shoot Puck, Take Advantage of Increased Opportunity

With Jaden Schwartz and Berkly Catton each out for multiple weeks, it’s next man up for the Seattle Kraken at forward. Or rather, ‘Nyman’ up.

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Kraken Reunite Last Year’s Top Line Ahead of Weekend Road Swing

Following Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the Sharks, the Kraken returned to practice on Thursday with a higher pace and intensity coupled with some shuffling on the forward lines as Lane Lambert continues to make tweaks to the lineup.

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Kraken Bounce Back, Hold Off Blackhawks in 3-1 Win

In a 10-second span, the Kraken went from knocking on the door of a 3-0 lead to protecting a one-goal margin against the Blackhawks. But the home squad did not buckle, turning defense into offense late to secure the 3-1 win on Monday.

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Kraken Struggle Offensively vs. Rangers, Fall 3-2 in Overtime

The Seattle Kraken once again salvaged a point in the standings by the skin of their teeth, but fell in overtime for the second time in a week, as J.T. Miller connected with Will Cuylle to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 overtime win at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

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Kraken Injury Updates: Kakko Appears Poised to Make Season Debut Against Former Team

All signs point to Kaapo Kakko returning from his broken hand on Saturday, when the Kraken host his former team, the Rangers. Two of his projected linemates spoke 1-on-1 with the Emerald City Spectrum to discuss what the 24-year-old forward brings to the lineup.

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Ryan Winterton Building Chemistry, Carving Out Role on Kraken Fourth Line

While the Kraken went 2-2-2 on their six-game road trip with a mixed bag of results before returning to Climate Pledge Arena for a 3-2 win against the Oilers on Saturday, Ryan Winterton has started to find his niche with an increasing role in his third season.

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Kraken Morning Skate: Oilers Come to Town Following Seattle’s Long Road Trip

The Kraken are back in town following a six-game road trip, during which they went 2-2-2. Coming off a 3-0 win against the Jets on Thursday, can they keep momentum going against the visiting Oilers?