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With the 2025 NHL Draft behind the Seattle Kraken, they've now turned their focus to NHL Free Agency and the upcoming season. The Kraken owned six picks in the draft, including the eighth overall selection. General manager Jason Botterill would be making his first picks as the GM, with Ron Francis moving to the role of President of Hockey Operations. Did they do enough to change the fortunes of their franchise, though?
The Kraken have made the playoffs just once in their four-year history, but still have a solid group of players to build around. The team has just completed their fifth draft as an NHL franchise, and their first one was solid. In that draft, they selected both Matty Beniers and Ryker Evans. They would use their first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft on Shane Wright, who has played 95 games at the NHL level. Beyond that, no other player has been drafted by the Kraken and played over 25 games.
While it may be too early to tell if they have not drafted well, the early results have been a mixed bag of success and misses. The team made just six picks this year, and this is how they grade out.
Seattle gets a solid pick at No. 8
With the eighth overall selection in the NHL Draft, the Kraken selected Jake O'Brien, a center out of Canada. He was projected as a top-ten prospect and one of the best forwards in the draft. He has spent the last two years playing for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL. In 2023-24, he scored 13 times with 51 assists. Still, the center's goal-scoring ability would take a major step forward in 2024-25. He potted 32 goals while adding 66 assists. He also added three goals and eight assists in 11 playoff games.
While there was the potential that Seattle would take a defender in this position in the draft, they took the best player available instead. He has the creativity and scoring ability that could make him a top-six forward in the NHL. While he has not developed the physical and defensive side of his game just yet, his passing and offense make him well worth the pick here.
Blake Fiddler could be a steal
Some mock drafts had Fiddler going in the first round. Seattle would select him in the second round with the 36th pick in the draft. The defenseman from the United States comes in with size, standing at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. The blue liner has spent the past two years with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL, playing in 127 games, scoring 15 goals and adding 33 assists.
Fiddler is highly physical and possesses great strength. He works well in transition and can move the puck well. Further, he is trusted in a multitude of situations, including the powerplay and penalty kill. His aggressiveness makes him a potential shutdown defender, but also can lead to trouble. The blue liner will spend time in the penalty box and can lack discipline at times. Still, snagging a potential first-round talent at defense in the second round was a great grab for the Kraken.
The rest of the draft and final Kraken draft grade
In the third round, Seattle would take their second defenseman of the draft, selecting Will Reynolds. Opinions on the blue liner were diverse. At just 17 years old and being one of the youngest draft-eligible players in this draft this year, there is room for growth in his game. He already plays solid defense on the rush and reads the break well. Further, his defensive positioning is solid. While the defensive skills are up to par, he struggles with passing, puck handling, and moving the puck against the forecheck. The Canadian will take time to develop, and may have been a reach here, but this was a high-risk and potentially high-reward selection.
The Kraken continued their run of selecting blue liners with their next pick, selecting Maxim Agafonov with the 134th pick in the fifth round. The Russian blue liner has most recently played in the MHL with Tolpar Ufa. There, he played in 35 games with 14 points. Agafonov is seen as a solid all-around defender. He is mobile with good defensive awareness while also being a disciplined player. He does not have a high offensive ceiling and does not use his body well. Overall, this is the opposite of their prior pick, being much more of a low-risk but potentially low-reward player.
Seattle would have two picks in the seventh round of the NHL draft, taking two players out of Sweden. The first selection would be Karl Annborn, another defenseman who played for HV71 Juniors primarily, although he did play five games with the higher-level HV71 Jönköping. He will need a lot of progression to make it to the NHL level, but he was seen as a possible third or fourth-round pick. He is a strong skater and wins puck battles. Still, his offense has not developed, and he struggles on the break currently.
With their final selection in the draft, at pick 218, the Kraken would select Loke Krantz, a winger. He is coming off scoring 12 goals with five assists in 44 games in 2024-25 in the Swedish Junior League. This could have been a slight stretch of a pick, but this late in the draft, risks are acceptable. Even Krantz did not expect to be drafted. He is a player who plays with passion, although he still needs to develop as a scorer.
The Kraken do not have a lot of experience in the NHL Draft just yet, being in existence for only a couple of years. While they have hit on some players in the past, it is still too early to tell if all of their picks will work out. In this draft, they got some solid picks early in the draft. They did reach for Reynolds, but also got players who dropped further than expected with Fiddler and Annborn. Overall, it was a solid draft for Botterill in his first go as the general manager. If some of the later picks work out, this could be one of the franchise's best.
Kraken's best pick: Blake Fiddler, 2nd Round, 36th overall
Kraken's worst pick: Will Reynolds, 3rd Round, 68th overall
Final draft grade for the Seattle Kraken: A-
