November 14, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\nSo, this was a very positive sign and the first real indication of progress for McCann. Although the Kraken managed five goals against the Jets, there\u2019s no doubt they desperately need their top offensive player back in the lineup.<\/p>\n
Also worth noting, Kaapo Kakko\u2014who left the game Thursday with a lower-body injury on the next shift after scoring his first goal of the season\u2014was spotted at Kraken Community Iceplex in street clothes. There wasn\u2019t much to learn about his status just from seeing him, and Lambert didn\u2019t address the media Friday, but Kaapo was at least around the team. So, perhaps that\u2019s a positive sign, but we\u2019ll learn more on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Berkly Catton remains a full-time NHLer\u2026 for now<\/p>\n
When Berkly Catton suited up for his 10th game of the season in Dallas on Sunday, he crossed an important threshold. That 10th game means he now burns the first year of his entry-level contract. For a 19-year-old CHL-eligible player, hitting that number is massive, because nine games is typically the cutoff for when NHL clubs send youngsters (who are not eligible for the AHL because of the NHL\/CHL transfer agreement) back to junior hockey.<\/p>\n
It is still possible that Catton ends up back in the WHL at some point this season, although using up a year of his ELC makes that scenario far less likely.<\/p>\n
I chatted with Catton on Friday about what clearing that threshold means to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of camp, the conversation was kind of like, \u2018We don\u2019t really know what\u2019s going to happen, but at some point, you\u2019ll get your chance,\u2019\u201d Catton recalled. \u201c\u2018If we think you\u2019ll develop better here, you\u2019ll stick around. If not, we\u2019ll send you back.\u2019 So, I\u2019m obviously doing something right in that sense. I\u2019m just going to try to keep building on that. But it was pretty stressful. That 10th game was nice, and I think just kind of sticking in the lineup\u2019s been good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lambert does seem to be developing more and more trust in Catton, to the point that he recently moved him to third-line center between Shane Wright and Eeli Tolvanen. Catton said it doesn\u2019t matter to him whether he skates at center or wing, but he did find value in playing wing because he learned what\u2019s difficult for a winger to execute at the NHL level. So if he plays his more natural center position moving forward, that wing experience should still be beneficial. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really care [whether I\u2019m wing or center], to be honest,\u201d Catton said. \u201cI just want to be out on the ice, and I think a lot of it is just understanding the systems themselves, and I\u2019ve really tried my best to do that and learn that way. And then when you get the puck on your stick, just make a play. That\u2019s kind of my mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lambert also had some nice commentary about Catton before the game on Saturday when he was asked by Piper Shaw about his comfort in moving the rookie into his current role. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis player is a player who is dialed in,\u201d Lambert said. \u201cHe\u2019s a sponge, he\u2019s absorbing everything, from what his responsibilities are off face-offs to what his defensive-zone responsibilities are to how he can create more in the offensive zone. We\u2019ll just continue to watch him progress, I think. There\u2019s been a lot of progression from him from that standpoint, and we\u2019ll see where we go.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the way, now that Catton has burned through the first year of his ELC, he\u2019s now moving in with Chandler Stephenson and his family for the foreseeable future. That\u2019s a good indication that the Kraken expect him to stick for (at least most of) the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
Checking in with Ryker Evans<\/p>\n
Since I was away for a while, I wasn\u2019t around when Ryker Evans returned from injury, so I chatted with him about the vibes of the team after the win over Winnipeg and how things feel different this season compared to last.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I mean, big comeback [last night],\u201d Evans said. \u201cI thought we did a good job of keeping our composure when we were down. The vibes were good on the bench. We believe we can come back, and we did. Around the room, it\u2019s great, very positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defenseman also mentioned that winning breeds positivity in the room, and with an 8-4-5 record through 17 games, there have been a lot more good feelings floating around this season, compared to last.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, it\u2019s different when you\u2019re winning, guys are a lot more happy. So I think, just in years past, we just weren\u2019t winning as much, we weren\u2019t finding success. So, around the room, it\u2019s a bit tougher [in that scenario]. But I mean, since we\u2019re winning, it\u2019s happy, and everyone\u2019s really clicking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evans has had an interesting ride over the last couple seasons. He split 2023-24 between Coachella Valley and Seattle, playing under Dave Hakstol in the NHL and Dan Bylsma in the AHL. Then Hakstol was fired and replaced by Bylsma, who Evans, of course, knew well. Now, as a still-developing, 23-year-old defenseman, he missed the first 13 games of the season with an upper-body injury, while the rest of the team was getting to know the ways of the more structure- and detail-oriented Lambert.<\/p>\n
Still, Evans said it hasn\u2019t been that drastic of an adjustment.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year\u2019s coaching staff, I had them in Coachella for two years, so it\u2019s a bit different. I knew them and what they expected,\u201d Evans said. \u201cThis year, it\u2019s kind of the same messages, just play how I play. And then, I mean, from a team standpoint, as you guys can see, we\u2019re just playing hard, we\u2019re playing fast. I think we\u2019re just very structurally [sound] in the D-zone. They\u2019re a very detailed coaching staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
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