It’s finally here. Opening night for the Seattle Kraken. The puck drops tonight in Calgary, where the club will take on the Flames. Of note, the Kraken won’t have many more opportunities to play in the Saddledome, as the Flames are saying goodbye to their longtime home after this season.
It’ll be bittersweet for fans of the Calgary Flames as the Saddledome is one of the most iconic venues in the NHL. Still, the new Scotia Place looks to be one of the finest barns in the league.
The Kraken have fared well in the Saddledome, with 5 regulation wins, 4 regulation losses and an overtime loss. In their most recent visit to Calgary in April of last season, the Kraken skated their way to a 4-1 victory behind an impressive performance from Nikke Kokko.
Behind The Net
Joey Daccord is the projected starter in net for the Kraken. The 30-year-old Massachusetts native looks to build on his 20-20-6 record from last season. His goals-against average last season, 3.03, set him at 38th in the NHL. Daccord will look to defend against a Calgary attack led by Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, who were responsible for 22 and 20 goals, respectively, last season.
First Up
Leading the Kraken onto the ice will likely be the combination of Jared McCann, Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko. Matty Beniers, at just 23 years old, figures to be paramount to the Kraken’s success. Playing in all 82 games last season, Beniers recorded 52 points, with 20 goals and 32 assists.
Kaapo Kakko, 25 years of age, saw a 10-point increase in 2025-2026 from 2024-2025. If the former number two overall pick is able to build at that pace, he would add another 50 point player to the lineup.
Second Up
The next line for tonight’s opener projects to be Bobby McMann, Chandler Stephenson and Jordan Eberle. Stephenson is identified as one of the key cogs in the Kraken machine not just from a production standpoint, but from a leadership and reliability perspective as well.
Jordan Eberle enters the 2026-2027 NHL campaign as the Kraken’s captain for the third consecutive year. At 36 years of age, Eberle has been part of the ups and downs during Seattle’s short history as a franchise. As was the case the last two seasons, Eberle will be relied upon for leadership on and off the ice.
Wildcard
Berkly Catton will anchor the third line at the Center position. Catton played 66 games with the Kraken last year, amassing 17 points in 66 games. The 20-year-old Saskatoon native has an opportunity to prove that he has what it takes to be a staple in the Kraken lineup.
The 8th overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft sees himself as a leader. He was a captain for his Hlinka roster and has suggested that he’s a leader by example. Given that the Kraken find themselves as a franchise looking to build for the future but also stay competitive on the ice, leadership by example would be a valuable asset.
Player To Watch
Tonight’s player to watch is the projected starter in net, Joey Daccord. A solid start to the year gives a netminder the opportunity to build confidence and set the tone coming out of the gate. Daccord is entering year two of a five-year contract with a total value of $25M, and figures to have a large say in the type of year the Kraken have.
Not to mention the fact that he might just have the best goalie mask in the league.
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