Kraken the Ice: Seattle Ends Disappointing Season With a Thud, What Now?
After being eliminated from the playoffs with a week to play, the Kraken closed out their season without much of a whimper with losses to the Golden Knights and Avalanche, capping off a disastrous post-Olympics finish.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee reads Seattle's eulogy after an up-and-down season, diving into the obvious low points while also revisiting a few positives that developed in the 2025-26 season, and takes a look at where Seattle must go this offseason to revive a possible contender or completely clean house.
Post-Mortem: Three Reasons Why Kraken Failed Once Again in 2025-26
The 2025-2026 NHL regular season is now over. The Seattle Kraken failed to score a goal in their season finale, going out without much of a whimper, falling 2-0 to Vegas to bring another disappointing campaign to an end.
The Kraken finished 34-37-11, totaling 79 points. That ranks third among the five seasons in Seattle Kraken history. They fell three points shy of being the second-highest point total in franchise history. They also failed to have a winning season in Lane Lambert’s first year as head coach, finishing below .500 for the fourth time out of the five years, along with three straight years of sub-.500 hockey.
The Kraken have gone through three head coaches in five seasons. It appears as if Lambert will get a second year, barring an unexpected development.
So, what happened? Why did the Kraken fail to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season?
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.”
Kraken Maintaining a Pulse With Three Points in Florida
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin in three weeks. There’s an argument to be made that it’s the most exciting postseason in professional sports.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs aren’t just hockey, it’s a controlled detonation of chaos, pain tolerance, and pure will. Every shift feels like it weighs a pound more, every hit echoes through the arena a little more, and every goal is either ecstasy or heartbreak. The margins shrink until the game becomes survival. Legends are carved out in April through June. It’s hockey at its rawest, loudest, most unforgiving, and most beautiful state.
The big question is, will the Seattle Kraken get into that dance?
Kraken Fall Back Into Bad Habits, Suffer 6-2 Loss to Lightning
It started with Jared McCann.
The Seattle Kraken forward said as much, referring to his turnover to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Gage Concalves on a hit along the boards that ultimately led to the latter giving his side a 1-0 lead just 5:45 into Tuesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena, but it didn’t end there.
Between Tampa’s relentless forecheck and a couple of crucial mistakes on Seattle’s end, the Lightning stormed to a 3-0 lead. The Kraken managed to cut it to 3-2 midway through the second period, but more mistakes doomed them to a 6-2 loss.
Kraken Waste Crucial Homestand with ‘Mind-Boggling’ Mistakes
The Seattle Kraken arrived back in the Emerald City after dropping the first two games on the road following the Olympic break. Then, Kraken fans perked up as the team rattled off wins against the lowly Canucks and talented Hurricanes.
Things were looking up. The fanbase was rejuvenated. There were still four games left in the longest stretch of consecutive home games on the entire Kraken schedule.
They played three very beatable teams before a date with the top team in the entire NHL, the Colorado Avalanche. Instead of taking advantage of a stretch of winnable games at home, the Kraken dropped all four, failing to take advantage of a prime opportunity.
Kraken Fall Out of Playoff Spot as Skid Continues in 5-1 Loss to Avalanche
The difference between the first and second period was night and day for the Seattle Kraken against the Colorado Avalanche at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday.
A lethargic effort from Seattle and a three-point period from Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon put the Kraken in a 3-0 hole through 20 minutes, but the home side came out of the gates swinging in the second period.
Despite building up a 10-0 shots on goal advantage through 10:25, Seattle could not manage to get on the board before Adam Larsson committed a tripping penalty to put the Kraken on the penalty kill.
What should have been a momentum killer was the exact opposite. Chandler Stephenson set up Ryker Evans for a short-handed goal, and Seattle was back in business.
For less than four minutes, unfortunately.
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.
Stripped of Hat Trick, Jared McCann Leads Kraken to Wild 5-1 Win vs. Capitals
While two separate chances to record a hat trick were taken away from him, Jared McCann finished with two goals and two assists for the Kraken to headline a dominant 5-1 win against the Capitals on Tuesday. What stood out from one of the team’s most complete games?
Kraken Bounce Back With Third-Period Burst Against Devils
After entering the third period at Climate Pledge Arena tied 1-1 against the Devils on Sunday, the Kraken managed to put just four more shots on goal with a goalie in the net. Luckily for them, two of them went in, allowing them to secure a much-needed win.
‘Weren’t Very Good at All’: Kraken Lose Crucial Home Division Matchup Against Ducks
With crucial points on the line against the Anaheim Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday, the Seattle Kraken floundered, missing out on a key opportunity in a loss Lane Lambert summed up as a “disappointment.”
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?
Kraken Squander Overtime Opportunity After Comeback Against Wild
Much like their opponents who rolled through Climate Pledge Arena in the first half of December, the Kraken executed a third-period comeback against the Wild on Thursday, looking to steal another win. But overtime didn’t work out in their favor.
Analysis: What’s Behind Longstanding Kraken’s Shootout Woes?
There have been many persistent issues over the Seattle Kraken’s first few years of existence, and problems on the shootout are perhaps an under-discussed one. Why have the Kraken struggled to gain the edge in the one-on-one?
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?
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.
Kraken Concede Another Late Winner, Lose Sixth Straight
For the second game in a row — and the third time in five games — the Seattle Kraken allowed the go-ahead goal in the third period of an otherwise close game in Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Kraken have lost five straight in regulation and six consecutive overall.
Special Teams Woes Doom Kraken Against Oilers in 9-4 Blowout Defeat
The Seattle Kraken made history against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. Just not the kind they would want to write home about.
Philipp Grubauer Saves Kraken in Relief, Backstops 4-1 Win vs. Sharks
The Kraken were hit with a one-two punch at the end of the first period against the San Jose Sharks at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, losing their goaltender immediately after giving up a goal. But a veteran standby saved the day, securing a big win over the Sharks.
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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