For the last 22 years (12 with The Hockey News), Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 23rd annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey, both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future.

Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are considered when examining the depth chart and evaluating the potential of the players on it.

Enjoy!

** Be sure to pick up your copy of the 2025-2026 Fantasy Hockey Guide **

Gone – Andre Burakovsky, Michael Eyssimont, Dan Bylsma (Head Coach)

Incoming – Mason Marchment, Frederick Gaudreau, Ryan Lindgren, Matt Murray, Lane Lambert (Head Coach)

Impact of Changes – Incoming head coach, Lane Lambert, was HC for the NY Islanders for one and a half seasons between 2022-23 and 2023-24. His overall record was 61-46-20, with one playoff appearance in the 2022-23 season, where the Islanders were ousted in the first round.

The overall offense on Long Island increased once Lambert took over. The leading scorer in 2021-22 was Brock Nelson with 59 points, which jumped to 75 points in 2022-23, and then to 80 points in 2023-24 by Mathew Barzal.

The leading point getter in Seattle in 2024-25 was Jared McCann with 61 points, and the leading goal scorer was Jaden Schwartz with 26.

The Kraken have a lot of young players on their roster with Matty Beniers (22 years of age), Shane Wright (21), Kaapo Kakko (24) and Ryker Evans (23). Lambert had Noah Dobson (22), Alexander Romanov (22), Oliver Wahlstrom (22) and Simon Holmstrom (21) in New York, so Lambert's track record is mixed.

On the surface, it looks like the Islanders increased their offensive output when Lambert was in charge and from a fantasy standpoint, anyone holding a Kraken player now is hoping the same comes to fruition in Seattle.

Dan Bylsma only had one year in Seattle, so it could be argued that he didn't really get a fair chance to make his stamp on the team.

Mason Marchment is likely to slot in on the third line with the ability to slide up the lineup for short durations when needed. He's posted 22 and 23 goals back-to-back and should be able to hit 20 or more a third year in a row. He should be a lock for 45-55 points.

Frederick Gaudreau is slotted as the fourth-line centre in Seattle, but can slide up and down the lineup when needed. He put up 18 goals and 19 assists in 82 games with Minnesota in 2024-25 while averaging 15:40 per night. He's unlikely to get the same ice time in Seattle unless some injuries happen.

The addition of Ryan Lindgren should give the Kraken a reliable top-four defender who can play 19-20 minutes per game, put up 15-25 points and reach 100 hits and 100 blocks.

Matt Murray has played two NHL games and 24 AHL games since 2022-23 but is only 31 years of age. He is a dark horse to play more than a few games in the NHL in 2025-26, but he could outplay Philipp Grubauer if healthy. He would be a cheap addition to a fantasy roster if your pool allows some depth.

Losing Andre Burakovsky should be easily offset by the addition of Marchment.

Ready for Full Time – Jani Nyman, Ryan Winterton

Nyman played 58 AHL games in 2024-25, which was his first full season in North America. He had an impressive 28 goals and 16 assists, which earned him 12 games in the NHL with the Kraken. He put up three goals and three assists, with two of his goals coming on the power play.

Winterton has played 21 games with the Kraken over the past two seasons and has one assist to show for it, with 30 hits and 10 blocks. He has played 114 AHL games with 40 goals and 32 assists, so there is some offense there, but it might not translate to the NHL. He's better suited to the fourth line than Nyman, but will be competing against Nyman and the others for a spot.

Fantasy Outlook

Seattle improved offensively under Bylsma in 2024-25, but not in the standings or defensively.

Their goals improved from 214 (2.61/g) to 245 (2.99/g), while goals against went from 232 (2.83/g) to 262 (3.2/g). Offensively, the Kraken went from 29th in the NHL to 16th, but defensively went from 9th to 24th.

The power play went from 17th in the league at 20.7% to 23rd at 18.9%. There is some room for improvement here.

Seattle should have five 20-goal scorers in their lineup with a chance at two or three more. Jaden Schwartz, Eeli Tolvanen, Mason Marchment, Matty Beniers and Jared McCann should get there, while Shane Wright, Kaapo Kakko and Jordan Eberle could.

A few people will be looking for improvement from Tolvanen, Beniers, Wright and Kakko, but the Kraken might not score enough to warrant a breakout from any one of them in 2025-26.

For the Kraken to make the playoffs, they need to get back to their defensive structure from 2022-23 and 2023-24, with some heady improvement from Beniers, Wright and Kakko all at the same time.

I'm not sure that they have improved enough to win 40 games in 2025-26.

Fantasy Grade: C+ (last year was a C+)