The Seattle Kraken got off to a strong start in the Lane Lambert Era on Sunday with a 5-3 preseason win over the Vancouver Canucks. Sure, it was a meaningless exhibition, and Seattle dressed a much more seasoned lineup than Vancouver, but the home team controlled long stretches of the game, giving fans—and their new head coach—plenty to like.

“I like the effort a lot,” Lambert said. “I thought we played hard. I thought we did things that we’ve been working on from a defensive standpoint, I thought we did a lot of good things offensively. In the first period, we controlled the game with a number of good-quality scoring chances. We took a four-minute penalty, but that was all part of it, in terms of just sticking up for your teammate. But I thought we did a lot of good things in a lot of different areas.

“What I really liked a lot was we were on pucks tonight. We were hounding pucks, creating turnovers, and then turning it into offense.”

Jani Nyman scored twice, while Eduard Sale, Jaden Schwartz, and John Hayden each added a goal. Vince Dunn had three assists, and Kaapo Kakko contributed two.

Here are our Three Takeaways from Seattle’s 5-3 preseason win over Vancouver.

Takeaway #1: Jani Nyman making his case

Li’l Jani has been firmly on the radar as a young player with a chance to crack the Opening Night roster, after putting up six points (3-3=6) in 12 NHL games last season and leading the Coachella Valley Firebirds in goals with 28.

He looked too good for rookie camp last week, but the lingering question has always been whether his skating had improved enough to make him a full-time NHLer this season and allow him to consistently get into scoring positions to unleash his deadly shot.

Nyman made a convincing case Sunday. Midway through the second period, on a rush with Matty Beniers and Kakko, he hustled to the far post and managed to get his stick on Kakko’s seam pass, even after it deflected en route. That goal gave Seattle a 2-1 lead.

HELLO, NYMAN! 🚨

Nice buildup off the rush, and Li’l Jani does well to get his stick on Kakko’s pass that got deflected.

2-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/zBOXIjyzpS

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 22, 2025

“It’s good to get some games before the real ones,” Nyman said. “It’s been a long summer, so I feel I’m ready. And I did a huge job [training] this summer. Hopefully I can see that on the ice.”

Added Lambert: “The thing that excited me about that goal was that it started in the D-zone. We killed the play, and then it ended up in the back of their net. So from my perspective, that’s what we’re talking about when we’re talking about defense translating into offense.”

Nyman followed up with an even prettier tally four minutes later, again connecting with Kakko. This time, after the two Finns switched positions just inside the blue line, Nyman drifted into a soft spot at the top of the right circle. Kakko slid him a perfect pass, and Nyman—who had cleverly opened himself up for a one-timer—ripped it off the far post and in.

JANI TWO-MAN! 🚨

Nyman’s second of the night on a big blast.

4-1 #SeaKraken. pic.twitter.com/vvmtZff8Fg

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 22, 2025

“We never talked about [that play in advance]. It just happened,” Kakko said. “I mean, [Nyman’s] got a good shot, and we all know that. I think we saw that last year already, so— nobody net front, it’s a pretty heavy shot. Hopefully me and Matty can find him a little more.”

If Nyman keeps producing through the preseason, it’ll be hard for the front office to justify sending him down.

Takeaway #2: Solid start

We can’t read too much into this—or any—preseason game, especially with Vancouver icing a roster that looked more like a prospect showcase squad than an NHL lineup.

Still, you want to see structure and flashes from individual players, and the Kraken delivered both. Kakko, Shane Wright, and Schwartz all looked sharp. Several young players also left their mark: Sale opened the scoring, Oscar Fisker Molgaard set up Hayden’s goal, and Nyman did what we covered in Takeaway #1.

Seattle’s last two first-round picks, Berkly Catton and Jake O’Brien, also had their moments. Both showed confidence, and neither looked out of place. Catton, despite not finding the scoresheet, was around the action all night and finished plus-two in 14:24 of ice time.

“I liked both of their games,” Lambert said. “O’Brien’s a real cerebral player, really solid defensively. Honestly, he just keeps getting better every day, and he’s had a good training camp. His progression has been very, very good.

“Cats, he’s got that dynamic ability, that dynamic speed. He showed it on a few occasions tonight.”

Catton still has work to do to secure a roster spot. He didn’t cement it Sunday, but he also did nothing to hurt his chances.

Takeaway #3: John Hayden is still in the penalty box

Another player fighting (literally and figuratively) for a roster spot is John Hayden, who has been in this bubble position for four straight Kraken training camps. On Sunday, he reminded management he’ll always stand up for teammates.

This particular instance came with a price.

At 17:34 of the first period, Joseph LaBate flattened Wright with a clean open-ice hit. Hayden immediately went after LaBate, cross-checking the 6-foot-5 forward before dropping the gloves and throwing punches.

The result: 19 minutes of penalties—two for cross-checking, two for instigating, five for fighting, and a 10-minute misconduct—leaving the Kraken to kill off four minutes shorthanded. They survived, but Schwartz’s subsequent high-sticking minor cost Seattle a goal against.

“You know what? I have all kinds of time in the world for that,” Lambert said of Hayden’s decision to engage LeBate. “He’s sticking up for his teammate, so outstanding job by him. We try and kill those off all day long when we feel like somebody is trying to stand up for one of his teammates.”

Hayden made the most of the extra rest and scored 3:07 into the third period to extend Seattle’s lead to 5-2, banging home a slick feed from Fisker Molgaard.

Hayden remains a candidate for the 13th forward role. If he starts the year in Coachella Valley, odds are he’ll be back in Seattle before long.