As the NHL’s main season comes to a close, and a number of teams prepare for the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Seattle Kraken are preparing for the next season. On April 11, 2026, the Kraken were officially eliminated from the playoffs after a long string of losses. 

After four players competed in the 2026 Olympics (none for the U.S. team) the Kraken went from a team with a decent standing this season – with a solid chance at representing the Pacific Division in the playoffs. Instead, they fell apart, ending their season with a 34-36 record, putting them sixth in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and out of the playoffs.

This isn’t new for the Kraken. After being introduced to the NHL in the 2021/22 season, they have only been able to make the playoffs once – during their second season. They made it halfway through the four rounds, being eliminated by the Dallas Stars during game seven of round two.

What went wrong? The Kraken have yet to be considered all that great in their short time, but they have managed to have decent standings. 

One of the major issues was the lack of strong offense, only averaging 2.78 goals a game. The highest scorer this season was forward Jordan Eberle with 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists) in 77 games.

Another struggle this season was penalty kills. Penalty killing is a defensive strategy used when there’s a player in the penalty box, meaning you’re short of the usual five players per side on the ice. During this two to five minute span of having a teammate in the penalty box, the team must up their defense to avoid being scored on. Despite being one of the most disciplined teams in the league – being the fifth least penalized team in the league – they ended up being the lowest ranked penalty-killing unit in the league.

A bright spot in the Kraken’s defense, though, is their goalies. Both Joey Daccord and Phillipp Grubauer (who are expected to return next season) have shown a lot of strength. It’s a good foundation for the team to build off, but one good position won’t carry a team.

The Kraken’s roster is full of young and talented players but many of them are yet to show much improvement over their time with the team.

Overall, to break out of the center of the league’s standings, the Kraken needs major team reform. It has stayed very loyal to its players, which is respectable but isn’t showing results. Some elite level offense would greatly benefit the team.

While Kraken fans are used to not making it to the playoffs by now, in any professional sport it’s not too terribly common for a team to make it that far in their early years. Since they did it in their second season, it’s promising for them to have a comeback as they grow.

For those who don’t know since it’s fairly complicated, the NHL playoffs are a 16-team, four-round tournament to win the Stanley Cup. Eight teams from the Western Conference and eight teams from the Eastern Conference play in best-of-seven matches. Each round lasts roughly two weeks and sees two teams playing over and over again until one has four wins and gets to move on. Ultimately, one team will amass 16 wins and take home the Stanley Cup.

Last year, the Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Cup, while the Colorado Avalanche is predicted to win this year (win-loss record this season of 54-16 and 119 total points).

For reference, the Kraken are finishing their season with 79 total points. The lowest point total for a Western Conference team to make the playoffs this season was the Vegas Golden Knights with 95 points.