The Seattle Kraken have an extra reason to be unhappy about this summer’s uninspiring free agent class.
Obviously, it hinders a club like Seattle wanting to fortify its lineup. But it also turns the spotlight on a forward the Kraken would like to keep in their fold, winger Bobby McMann. His 10 goals in 18 Kraken games after a deadline-day trade from Toronto makes McMann a prized commodity.
The Utah Mammoth might want to kick the tires on the player set to hit free agency July 1.
“Bobby McMann would make sense for the Mammoth to bring in on a long-term deal,” speculates the Deseret News. “His age fits with the team’s core and he’s got the size and scoring ability to make a difference in both the regular season and the playoffs.
“The NHL free agency market this season is dire. Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Adrian Kempe and a number of other big names were supposed to headline the UFA class of 2026, but almost every team locked up its stars early. There’s nothing but crumbs left.”
Campbell Might Be Back Soon
At the Kraken’s home opener the last two seasons, the member of the Seattle Kraken coaching staff to receive by far the loudest cheers was assistant coach Jessica Campbell. That reception could be repeated at Climate Pledge Arena sometime next season, but with Campbell on the Vancouver Canucks bench.
In his 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman said, “I have heard some early rumors that the Canucks may have interest in Jessica Campbell.”
That interest could take one of two forms. Campbell could be a candidate to join the staff of new Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra. Or, Campbell might fill the coaching vacancy at AHL Abbotsford created when Malhotra was promoted from the Canucks’ farm team.
Campbell became the first full-time female coach behind an NHL bench under Dan Byslma in 2022. Earlier this offseason, the Kraken decided against extending her contract as a member of Lane Lambert’s staff.
Pivotal Season For Two Lamberts
Lane isn’t the only Lambert hoping for a more productive NHL season. Nephew Brad Lambert will be trying to impress the Winnipeg Jets, the club which made him their 1st round draft pick, 30th overall, in 2022.
Seattle Thunderbirds fans remember Brad from the T-Birds’ WHL championship team in 2022-23. Lambert played 26 games for Seattle, racking up 17 goals and 21 assists. His playoffs were even better: six goals and a whopping 20 assists in 17 postseason games.
Since then, the 6-foot-1, 173 pound center from Lahti, Finland has only cracked the Jets lineup for 31 games spread over three seasons. But late last year, says JetsWhiteout.com, “Lambert looked good. Not just ‘fleeting moments’ good, but legitimately impactful.”
The site calls Lambert, “A pass-first player with elite speed and high tempo.” He’s entering the final year of his contract, so this will be a pivotal season for the pivot.
One Roof Sports & Entertainment Gains Powerful Ally
Why did Melinda French Gates decide to become the newest investor in the Kraken’s parent company? The philanthropist, businesswoman, and ex-wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates says she’s long been a believer in “the power of sports.”
“As I was travelling the world on behalf of the work that I do in philanthropy, if I asked any adult, ‘Who’s been influential in your life?’ One of the top three answers is their coach. That is the difference that sports can make in somebody’s life.”
She said to majority owner Samantha Holloway, “I love how you’re thinking about the whole community. You’ve pushed way up into Northgate (location of Kraken Community Iceplex). Pushing out to the Eastside (Kraken Kirkland Iceplex, scheduled to open in 2027). That brings Seattle more together.”
With an estimated net worth of $30 billion, French Gates is also a powerful ally in One Roof’s pursuit of an NBA expansion team. Her stake in the Kraken is technically pending NHL approval.
Earlier Kraken:
— Simmer’s Kraken-NHL-9; Happiness, Sadness, Tension
