We’re still in preseason, but with so many thoughts and ideas bouncing around in my head, it felt like the perfect time to fire up the first edition of Monday Musings for the 2025-26 season. If you’re new around here, Monday Musings is where I pull together and share a handful of topics and themes from the past week across the Seattle Kraken world, and sometimes a little beyond.

First big round of cuts

Last Monday we saw a small round of cuts, but Saturday brought the first real round of assignments. Apart from Nathan Villeneuve, every player was sent to Coachella Valley, and because none of them required waivers, the process was straightforward. Still, any time you see that many names move off the board, it feels like camp is starting to tighten up. Here’s the full list of cuts/assignments:

One name that stood out before the cut: Tyson Jugnauth. We talked about him on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast this week, but he really made the most of his opportunity. It wasn’t his first training camp, but it was his first one under contract, and you could tell he wanted to make an impression. He even got into his first preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers, an eye-opening experience for the 21-year-old defenseman.

“You might be wondering how I got here.”

– Tyson Jugnauth (probably), facing TWO STRAIGHT 2-on-1’s against Connor McDavid. #SeaKraken

Also, look at the THREE Kraken players running into each other to create the second opportunity. 😳 pic.twitter.com/OOnmrzy6FO

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 25, 2025

Jugnauth was never really in the mix to make the Kraken out of camp, but he definitely climbed the organizational depth chart as he heads into his first pro season. On top of that, he’s got a great personality. If you missed his media scrum the day after the Edmonton game, it’s worth a watch.

Bubble players that remain

With the first big cuts done, the Kraken’s camp roster is now down to 30 players. They’ll need to trim that to 23 by Oct. 6. By my count, that leaves about 10 “bubble players” fighting for the final spots:

Forwards: Berkly Catton, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, John Hayden, Tye Kartye, Ben Meyers, Jani Nyman, Mitchell Stephens, Ryan Winterton

Defensemen: Ville Ottavainen, Cale Fleury

All signs point to Seattle starting the season with three goalies, and with Kaapo Kakko’s injury news (he’s expected to miss six weeks with a broken thumb) this weekend, that leaves room for at most four of these 10 bubble guys. Given that seven defensemen are already locks, those four spots will come from the forward group.

So, who has the inside track? Nyman’s stock has skyrocketed thanks to four goals in three preseason games. Catton also feels destined for the Opening Night roster—the only question is whether he sticks past his nine-game limit or heads back to junior at some point. That leaves two more spots in the game of musical chairs, with Hayden, Kartye, and Winterton all in the running. Each has a legitimate case, but it’s worth noting that both Hayden and Kartye would need to clear waivers if they’re sent down to the AHL.

Other musings

As I mentioned earlier, all signs point to the Kraken rolling into the season with three goalies. It’s not ideal, but when you’ve got a stretch in October with seven games in 12 days, the extra insurance makes sense.

The Kakko injury stings, but it could be worse. Shoulder, knee, and groin injuries always make me nervous—they have a way of nagging all year.

I was a little surprised to see Jacob Melanson sent down. He looked good enough in camp that I thought he might sneak into the conversation for a fourth-line role. Head coach Lane Lambert talked about him Sunday and said his rookie camp performance was “just ok,” then his training camp showing was better.

The Kraken spent a healthy chunk of their Sunday practice working on the power play.

Two #SeaKraken power play groups:

Dunn
Catton / Beniers / Nyman
Eberle

Evans
Tolvanen / Marchment / Wright
Schwartz pic.twitter.com/3va0JTtl8P

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 28, 2025

Some other news from Sunday: Jared McCann and Brandon Montour were back on the ice, skating separately from the main group. After practice, Lambert hinted to the media that both players are expected to be ready for opening night.

If I had to guess, McCann probably slides into Catton’s spot, while Chandler Stephenson takes over for Tolvanen.

I actually love preseason hockey. No stress, no stakes—just a chance to watch prospects test themselves against real NHL talent.

The national media is down on the Kraken this year, and I get the reasoning. But without local insight into what went down last season, their projections miss the bigger picture. I’m not saying Seattle is a playoff favorite, but 76 points? Nah, that’s too conservative.

Goal of the week

Sicker then your average 🤢🤯#OHL #BFD #mnwild pic.twitter.com/7csj4N7jX4

— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) September 28, 2025

Player performances

Julius Miettinen (EVT/SEA) – The Kraken prospect, who missed all of training camp, wasted no time making an impact with Everett. He posted two goals and two assists in his first two games of the season over the weekend.

Kim Saarinen (HPK/SEA) – One of Seattle’s top-rated goalie prospects is off to a strong start in Liiga, going 3-0-2 with a .919 save percentage. Saarinen is still likely a few seasons away from North America, but the early signs are encouraging.

Mathis Preston (SPO) – A projected top-10 pick for the 2026 NHL Draft, Preston is already producing in the WHL. He has three goals and four assists through Spokane’s first three games of the season.

Chart of the week

Excluding empty-net goals, goal differential is a key sign of a team’s potential in the standings. By that measure, the Kraken weren’t too far off last season.

The week ahead

The Kraken have two preseason games left before things start to count for real. With the roster trimmed down, here are a few things I’ll be watching for:

Battle for the final roster spots – I’ll be keying in on the play of Hayden, Kartye, and Winterton. All three have a legitimate case to make the team, but at most, only two spots are realistically open.

The goalies – Matt Murray went the distance in Vancouver, so it will be interesting to see if Lambert gives Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord a full game each in the final two. There’s even a scenario where Grubauer gets sent down to Coachella Valley if he can’t deliver the level of play the team needs this year.

Kraken special teams – Sunday’s practice gave us our first real look at how the coaching staff is approaching the power play. While the personnel is easy to focus on, I’ll be watching closely for strategy: zone entries, puck movement, player rotations. This week could offer the first hints of their plan to start the season.

Closing thoughts

With the first big round of cuts behind us and just two preseason games left, the Kraken are starting to take shape—but there are still plenty of questions. Who will earn the final roster spots? How will the rookies perform under the bright lights? And how will the coaching staff’s system tweaks and special teams strategy translate once the games actually matter? Preseason is always a mix of promise and uncertainty, and that’s exactly what makes this time of year so fun to watch. As we inch closer to opening night, I’ll be keeping an eye on how these storylines develop, and you can be sure we’ll revisit them in the next edition of Monday Musings.