After much speculation over which players would be changing addresses after 3 p.m. Friday, the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline came and went without much in the way of notable deals. The trades that didn’t come to fruition were more significant than the ones that did.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko exercised his no-trade clause to nix a move to the Buffalo Sabres. The Toronto Maple Leafs sold off assets, but not nearly enough. The Nashville Predators and the New York Rangers didn’t trade away anyone of consequence, despite sitting near the bottom of the NHL standings for most of the year. Teams did make some trades, but it was an underwhelming affair overall.
The Seattle Kraken were not completely quiet on deadline day, but instead chose to address their depth scoring concerns rather than sell off their pending free agents or make a big swing for an elite talent. They even extended captain Jordan Eberle’s contract for two more seasons with an average annual value (AAV) of $5.5 million, a slight pay bump over the $4.75 million he earned this season.
Let’s dive into what business the front office executed, and what that means for the Kraken going forward for the rest of the 2025-26 season.
Kraken Acquire Speedy McMann to Bolster Forward Ranks
General manager Jason Botterill and president of hockey operations Ron Francis declined to trade away any of their notable pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) in Eberle, Eeli Tolvanen, Jamie Oleksiak, or Matt Murray, instead deciding to stand pat (save for one trade) and try to secure the second playoff appearance in franchise history.
The Kraken’s trade activity was limited to acquiring 29-year-old winger Bobby McMann from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2026 and a second-round pick in 2027. McMann has tallied 19 goals and 32 points in 60 games this season with the Maple Leafs, and has scored at a 23-goal, 39-point pace since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
McMann has averaged just over 15 minutes per game in all situations this season (the highest of his career), occasionally seeing spot duty on the first line beside Auston Matthews. He pairs an impressive frame (6-foot-2, 217 pounds) with surprising speed and a robust work ethic while forechecking to make him a complementary piece anywhere in the top-nine. His 19 goals this season rank second among all Kraken players, so there is no doubt he will be a welcome presence in the lineup down the stretch and built for the rigors of postseason hockey.
The Kraken likely felt they had to make a move to insure against the possibility that one or all of Jared McCann (has missed 23 games), Jaden Schwartz (20) and Kaapo Kakko (17) continue to face health concerns. All have missed over a quarter of the season to date, and their respective offensive contributions are even more crucial for a team that has trouble scoring even when they are in the lineup (24th in goals per game this season).
McMann’s Contract Status a Cause for Uncertainty
What is puzzling about the McMann acquisition is that the Kraken – very much not clear-cut Stanley Cup contenders – decided to relinquish assets for what could very well be a rental player. The Wainright, Alberta native is a UFA at the end of the season and is currently on the books at a very affordable $1.35 million cap hit.
What prompted the Maple Leafs to trade him, besides their spiralling playoff hopes, is that the ask on his new contract has been reported as being in the same range as Keifer Sherwood’s five-year extension at a $5.75 million AAV. Sherwood is on pace to eclipse the 20-goal threshold for the first time in his career, but McMann has already done so while being a year younger, seemingly making his case for an even richer contract this summer.
The San Jose Sharks are desperate for NHL-caliber depth to surround their burgeoning young stars like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, but that kind of deal appears to be an overpay. It could make extending McMann unpalatable if he anchors his demands to Sherwood’s new deal, and raises the question of why the Kraken couldn’t instead target a similar, but cost-controlled, younger player with term.
Warren Foegele, Scott Laughton, and Conor Garland were acquired for a similar package, with Foegele and Garland coming with years on their contracts beyond this season. That’s not to say McMann isn’t a better option in a vacuum, but his impending free agency should be a part of the discussion if Seattle isn’t a bona fide contender in 2026.
Kraken Continue Avoiding Picking a Direction
While the acquisition of McMann is a positive one in terms of improving the team, the decision to part with assets for a soon-to-be 30-year-old on an expiring contract when the Kraken are nowhere near Stanley Cup contention is puzzling.
If the Kraken had made a major trade for a clear first-line forward, the McMann deal would have made more sense. Seattle would be pushing their chips in during a year when the Pacific Division is wide open, and a trip to the Western Conference Final is a much likelier possibility than in years past.
Instead, McMann doesn’t really change the team’s fortunes all that much, given that he isn’t a significant upgrade on most of the Kraken’s current top-nine forwards, and a playoff spot remains uncertain. The Kraken are fewer than 10 points back of first in the division, but also only a handful of points ahead of the Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings in the wildcard race.
The Kraken are one of the NHL teams most in need of securing a playoff spot, given their lack of regular-season success (26th in points percentage since 2021-22), so the McMann trade could provide greater value beyond the ice. The faithful fanbase needs to be shown that things are moving in the right direction, even if the team could have better utilized their assets at the deadline.
Data courtesy of the NHL.
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