Bigger Roles, Bigger Stat Lines: 2 Kraken Set to Break Out This Season

The NHL preseason is still a month away. Seattle Kraken news is slow as we enter the dog days of summer and the NHL offseason, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel with hockey not being that far away from returning, as camp opens in September.

Let’s take a look at the Kraken roster as it stands today and discuss two breakout candidates. When naming a “breakout” candidate, this does not necessarily mean they are going to compete for the Hart Trophy. It means that they could be poised to take another step in their development and even put together career years.

Ryker Evans, D

Evans is a 24-year-old left-shot defenseman, selected 35th overall by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Draft. It has been a slow burn for Evans since then, rising through the ranks of the WHL and AHL, earning his stripes in Regina and then Coachella Valley. Over the last two seasons, he finally set himself into the main rotation of blue liners in Seattle, playing in 73 games in 2024-25 and 67 last season for the Kraken.

He certainly is not a prolific scorer at this point in his career, with 14 career goals in 176 NHL games. What is encouraging is that Evans’ goal totals have slowly increased over the parts of three seasons in the NHL thus far. He even scored eight goals last season, which was three more than his first full year in the NHL, despite playing in less total games and averaging less time on the ice in those games.

For that, it feels like Evans is a mild breakout candidate. Can he get to double-digit goals? Only Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour reached that plateau among Kraken defensemen last year. Can Evans set a new career high with 30 points? His assist totals were cut in half last year, reaching only 17 points. Asking him to nearly double that might be a stretch, but with the departure of Jamie Oleksiak, he should get more time on ice. That, plus another year of experience, and throw in the fact that he’s in the final year of his current contract, there is plenty to say Evans could have his finest year in Seattle so far.

Berkly Catton, F

This might seem like cheating in this exercise a little bit. After all, Catton is barely 20 years old and a former eighth overall pick of the Kraken in 2024.  There is still a large ceiling above his head he is yet to bump against. He only has 66 NHL games under his belt, with seven goals and 10 assists to show for it.

Saying Catton will “break out” here might just be another way to say this should be the next step in the development of a very talented skater. The organization views him as a long-term center. In 2025-26, he mostly played wing, but general manager Jason Botterill and the coaching staff have indicated a desire to give him more opportunities down the middle, where his skating, vision, and puck-carrying ability can shine. This is a big camp for him ahead of his sophomore season and he can make a big impression to earn a larger role.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility to expect a huge leap in production for Catton with a larger role and his NHL “sea legs” under him. Can he double both his goals and assists? That would give him 14 goals and 34 points this season. I find it hard to believe any Kraken fan would be disappointed with that, and such a jump could be exactly what the team needs to notch a few more wins and be in the playoff hunt with an even brighter future lying ahead for him.