Analysis: Kraken Announce Sweeping Roster Updates
The Seattle Kraken whittled down their training camp roster significantly on Saturday, sending 20 players to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, their AHL affiliate:
The #SeaKraken have reassigned the following players to the Coachella Valley @Firebirds:
Forwards:
JR Avon
Jagger Firkus
David Goyette
Justin Janicke
Andrei Loshko
Ian McKinnon
Jacob Melanson
Logan Morrison
Carson Rehkopf
Lleyton Roed
Eduard Sale— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) September 27, 2025
The 11 forwards: Jon-Randall Avon, Jagger Firkus, David Goyette, Justin Janicke, Andrei Loshko, Ian McKinnon, Jacob Melanson, Logan Morrison, Carson Rehkopf, Lleyton Roed, Eduard Sale.
The six defensemen: Lukas Dragicevic, Kaden Hammell, Tyson Jugnauth, Ty Nelson, Gustav Olofsson, Caden Price.
The three goaltenders: Nikke Kokko, Jack LaFontaine, Victor Ostman.
None of these moves are surprising, but it does say a lot about the younger players who were left on the roster for the final stretch. Plus after the latest injury update, one or more of those players fighting for the final spots could be granted an extra opportunity.
Seattle also announced on Saturday that Kaapo Kakko will be out for six weeks with a broken hand, which he sustained in Wednesday’s preseason 4-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers.
An update on #SeaKraken forward Kaapo Kakko: pic.twitter.com/jVo5xTgwNb— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) September 27, 2025
It’s a massive blow to the Kraken’s top six, who will be without one of their top young forwards for the first month of the regular season.
Seattle should be gaining reinforcements soon, with Chandler Stephenson (undisclosed), Jared McCann (lower body) and Brandon Montour (ankle) all listed as day-to-day, but players such as Jani Nyman and Berkly Catton, among others, could represent temporary replacements.
“It gives other people opportunities right now,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said about the injury situation on Thursday. “We just move forward. Certainly (has) been disappointing for those guys that are injured.”
Nyman has perhaps had the strongest preseason among players on the roster bubble. The 21-year-old forward scored his fourth goal of the preseason in Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Seattle’s management had its eye on him entering camp as someone poised to earn a spot, and between his goal-scoring ability and the other injuries higher in the depth chart, he’s likely solidified one.
Nyman displayed exceptional chemistry with his countryman Kakko, with whom he’s played on the same line as for most of camp. Now that Kakko is out for the next six weeks, it’ll be up to Lambert to decide where he best fits.
“He’s doing a good job of putting pucks in the net,” Lambert told reporters in Vancouver on Friday. “So that’s a good sign for us. There’s a couple different areas that we’ll continue to work on with him. It’s like, not just with Jani Nyman, it’s with anybody.”
Additionally, young forwards Catton, Oscar Fisker Molgaard and Ryan Winterton remain on the training camp roster, and their play in camp has made them intriguing options for the opening night roster.
At 19 years old, Catton is a more complicated case. With the AHL carrying an age limit of 20 or older until next season, the options for Catton are to remain with the Kraken or go back to juniors, where he has proven he has no more room to grow following a 109-point campaign with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs last season.
Catton can also play up to nine NHL games and go back to Spokane without burning a year of his entry-level contract, so his “tryout,” so to speak, could very well extend into the regular season.
The natural center played on the wing in Friday’s game against Vancouver, which is likely where he would play to start the season given Seattle’s depth at center and now Kakko’s injury.
“They just kind of wanted to see how it kind of worked out,” Catton told reporters in Vancouver on Friday. “I’ve played wing growing up a little bit, so I have an idea of how to play, and I think they just wanted to see at this level if I could do it, so you know, just tried it out tonight.”
As for the veteran options, 30-year-old John Hayden, 26-year-old Ben Meyers and 28-year-old Mitchell Stephens remain in the mix as well, but there are only a couple open spots to go around. Ultimately, it’ll depend on if Seattle’s management wants to lean on experience or overall upside for those spots.
There’s still two preseason games left for the staff to make evaluations, but given the recent updates, the opening night roster picture has gotten a little clearer.
