Jared McCann Having Strong Season for Seattle Kraken

Through 48 games this season for the Seattle Kraken, it is clear that picking forward Jared McCann in last summer’s Expansion Draft was one of the best selections for the NHL’s 32nd franchise.

McCann, who was taken from the Toronto Maple Leafs after he was traded there from the Pittsburgh Penguins, has enjoyed a productive 2021-2022 season. Even though the Kraken have struggled this year and find themselves situated near the bottom of the Western Conference, McCann has been encouraging.

The 25-year-old has accumulated 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points on the season. His goal and point totals both lead the Kraken. He has also matched his career-best ten points on the power play.

Despite the poor showing for the Kraken as a team, McCann is on pace to obliterate his career-high in points, which he set during the 2019-2020 season with Pittsburgh. In that year, he tallied 35 points in 66 games played.

Jared McCann has been a bright spot for the Kraken.

McCann was able to put up 32 points in 43 games a season ago, which is obviously a more impressive output on a per-game basis, but he is in good position to set a new high-water mark for himself in that category as well this season. He has already set a new career-high in goals with his 19 so far this season, as his previous best was 14 goals.

Personally, I thought McCann should have been the Kraken’s All-Star representative as I predicted he would be at the beginning of the season. Instead, Jordan Eberle donned the Seattle sweater in Las Vegas last weekend.

Nevertheless, Jared McCann has been a bright spot in this gloomy season for the Kraken. His club has mustered only 126 goals through its first 48 games (2.6 goals per contest), but McCann’s 30 points mean that he has factored in on nearly 24 percent of Seattle’s offense.

As he continues to grow as a player, he may become the type of scorer that can elevate his linemates, but for now, it will be important for the Kraken to add some players that can support the offense alongside McCann.

Before Seattle does that, however, the team will have to make sure that it can get McCann re-signed, as his contract expires at the conclusion of this campaign. His current contract pays him $2.94M per year, and with a lot of flexibility in the upcoming offseason, the Kraken should be able and willing to bring back number 16. He will be a restricted free agent when his deal is up this summer.

Nothing has been easy this season in Seattle, but Jared McCann has done his part to make the Kraken at least somewhat competitive. I have to think that the NHL’s newest franchise is pleased with its decision to bring him to the Pacific Northwest.