Kraken's Lindgren Quietly Operates In His Prime

This should be a big year for Kraken left-shot defenseman Ryan Lindgren, if he can keep his head and face away from flying pucks.

That’s in reference to his past history, a selfless one, where Lindgren has sacrificed lips and limbs for the good of his hockey team. We joked about it in a follow-up profile of the blueliner last December. Rangers fans, who watched him for most of six full NHL seasons, upon reading that the 28-year-old Minnesota native got plunked in the cranium very early in his Kraken tenure, responded with stuff like, “That’s our boy!”.

It’s a good quality to have; a throwback to fearless, humble hockey. He quietly goes about his business, entering the second season of a four-year deal he signed July 1st, 2025 for $4.5-million per. That equals the most he’s ever earned in a season.

Lindgren needs to stay healthy — he’s never played a full 82-game schedule — and have a solid season if the Kraken are to have any success. That includes at even strength and also on one of the club’s penalty killing units. The Seattle PK was feeble last season.

“He does whatever it takes to win and has been a key fixture on the penalty kill throughout his career,” Kraken GM Jason Botterill said at the time of the signing. One would hope that latter part comes to fruition.

The season before his arrival in Seattle was his least productive in terms of fancy defensive stats, but his most productive in terms of offense. Between 54 games with the Blueshirts and 18 more with the Colorado Avalanche after he was acquired at the trade deadline for the playoff push, Lindgren finished with a career-high 22 points in 2024-’25.

A positive trend, but not what a Lane Lambert coached squad is necessarily looking for … he dropped to nine points in 76 games with the Kraken.

He’s a defensive workhorse and was treated as such. At his price point, much should be expected; especially as a likely third pair guy with righty Cale Fleury.

Lindgren was not one of the eleven Kraken who met with the media on April 17th after the season ended. Low key to a fault. Which is fine. It’s more important for the Seattle franchise that the 6-foot, 195-pounder does his talking on the ice.

This should be Ryan Lindgren’s prime.