Seattle’s season is finally in the books, and while the Kraken didn’t give fans a playoff push, those last ten contests still offered a roller‑coaster of high‑fives and facepalms. Here’s how our late‑season wish list fared, plus a few extra takeaways—good, bad, and baffling—from an unpredictable closing stretch.
Matty’s big twenty and the promise of more
Mission accomplished. Matty Beniers needed three goals to hit the round number and he got them, punctuating the achievement with a power‑play tally in the finale. A 20‑goal campaign isn’t a personal best (that mark remains 24), but given the 19‑game drought he battled earlier in the year, finishing strong feels like proof the so‑called sophomore slump is firmly behind him. Even better: two of those goals came against the Kings, always a satisfying target for Kraken fans. If this late‑season heater rolls forward, 30 goals won’t feel out of reach next year.
Kakko keeps climbing
Kaapo Kakko quietly checked another box: four assists down the stretch nudged him to 44 points—four better than his previous career high. That production came while Seattle shuffled lines to audition younger skaters, trimming his ice time. Playing mostly top‑line minutes in 2025‑26 should set him up to blow past 50, and his chemistry with Beniers already looks like a long‑term pillar.
Wright just shy of fifty, but well above expectations
Hitting 50 points was always a moonshot, yet Shane Wright still landed at an impressive 44. That ranked fourth on the roster despite averaging just 14:04 a night. The former No. 4 pick out‑produced Beniers over the final stretch and looked increasingly comfortable dictating play. Next step: a bigger role, because this is clearly a player who has earned more than third‑line scraps.
The back‑to‑back curse reaches comic tragedy
Hopes of ending the 0‑for back‑to‑back nightmare collapsed in spectacular fashion—a 7‑1 meltdown in Utah. The decision to start an obviously fatigued Joey Daccord after beating L.A. the night before will be debated all summer. With Philipp Grubauer scratched by illness, Seattle rolled a goalie who already leads the league in appearances over the last three months, only to yank him after forty brutal minutes. The skid ends at 0‑12, an ignominious record that even the 1974‑75 Capitals avoided.
Goalie goal still a dream
As expected, Daccord didn’t notch the unicorn marker, but his iron‑man workload deserves respect. Eight starts out of ten (and two relief cameos) is heroic—and evidence the front office must find real depth or risk burning out its franchise netminder.
Veteran Surge Led by Jaden Schwartz
Jared McCann’s three‑year reign as Seattle’s goal king is over. Jaden Schwartz seized the crown with a vintage flourish—five goals and an assist in the final ten. At 32, he enters the last year of his contract in 2025‑26, but this late burst showcased the leadership value he still provides a young core.