Moving young Berkly Catton to the middle full-time isn’t exactly a Kraken strategic secret. In fact, it might explain why the club considers Shane Wright expendable, particularly if another center comes along via trade or free agency.
For now, if Wright goes bye bye, the Seattle middle consists of Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson, Catton and Freddie Gaudreau. Jared McCann can jump over in a pinch. Bobby McMann was a center in his developing years, but it appears the club is enjoying him lighting the lamp on the wing.
Although none of this group qualifies as a bona fide first line pivot, Catton provides the greatest potential upside, more so than Wright because of all around toughness, focus, and hockey sense.
“Long term, yes, we see him as a centerman,” Kraken GM Jason Botterill told us back in April. “We see him in the middle, the ability to be creative, to have the puck on his stick a little bit more, creating things with his speed through the middle, that’s where we hope to see it longer term.”
Catton got a few looks at center late last season. He also had the benefit of being mentored by NHL veterans. Catton lived with Stephenson and his family during his rookie season.
“You’re always concerned about a 19-year-old in the National Hockey League,” Botterill said. “The fact that our veteran players, including Chandler, took care and made it at ease outside of the game of hockey, allowed him to be comfortable with our group.”
“Botts” pointed to Catton getting “bounced around” in the early games of the season against physical teams like the Flyers and the Capitals.
“I feel like every five games there was something like, wow,” Catton said at the end of his rookie campaign. “Getting hit by Tom Wilson (Capitals forward) was one for sure. That hurts.”
Which leads to his general priorities this summer.
“The generic things, strength, that’s always a big one. In the corner with big, 6-foot-4 NHL defenseman is just a different story.”
He’ll work on strength and conditioning and continue to work on improving his shot.
Which hopefully leads to his new full-time position.
“Playing center my whole life, going back to the tricks, I definitely understand that position more, and having the puck in the middle of the ice is one of my strong suits,” he said. “That’s probably where I’m most comfortable. Learning to play the wing this year was another challenge … being a player that you can play at center or throw on the wing is a good attribute to have.”
Catton had seven goals and 10 assists over 66 games in 2025-’26. He felt like a snake bit rookie early on, taking 28 games to score his first NHL goal. That’s when he scored two on January 6th at home against the Boston Bruins. Both goals came against netminder Jeremy Swayman.
Catton has two years remaining on his entry-level contract that pays him a little short of a million bucks per season.
Last summer’s first-round NHL Draft pick (2025, 8th-overall), Jake O’Brien, will soon be playing himself into the mix as well. He just turned 19 and his entry-level contract hasn’t kicked in yet.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Prospect Followed Hans Solo’s Advice
— Kraken Believe It Or Not; 4 Strange Stories
— Kraken Coverage That’s So Complete; It’s Astounding
