Seattle Kraken’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Jamie Oleksiak

Oleksiak was inconsistent throughout the season, often recording a point and then going long stretches before his name hit the score sheet again. At the end of the day, though, that’s not his primary job. His main purpose is defense, and he did an okay job, recording a plus-9 rating by the end of the campaign.

Impact on the Kraken

Oleksiak played on the right side and mostly on the bottom pairing. Although his defensive partner changed – sometimes it was Ryan Lindgren, other times it was Ryker Evans – he remained a fixture on the third pairing, averaging the fewest minutes of his tenure in Seattle at 16:56. He still managed to stay on the ice long enough to make sure the top two defensive pairings were ready to go.

The 2025-26 season was Oleksiak’s worst performance in five seasons with the Kraken. His point production tied that of the 2023-24 season, his lowest total in Seattle. It was also the first season since 2022-23 that he earned a positive plus-minus rating, but it was one where he spent the least amount of time on the ice.

Future in the NHL

At the end of the campaign, Oleksiak became an unrestricted free agent and signed a two-year contract with a $5 million average annual value with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1. He will become a free agent again at the end of 2027-28 at age 35.

Oleksiak was an original pick in the expansion draft when Seattle selected him from the Dallas Stars. He spent the first five seasons playing with the team, embedding himself in Seattle’s hockey history. We wish him all the best in Vancouver.

Overall Grade

For the 2025-26 season, Oleksiak receives a D grade. He recorded points when he could, but his primary role is defense and despite his plus rating, it was not a good sign when head coach Lane Lambert made him a healthy scratch. He tried to step up, but his performance fell short.

Since the Canucks are in the same division as the Kraken, the two teams will play each other four times in 2026-27. Seattle will soon see if off-season training did Oleksiak any good and got him in better shape to face his former team. The two teams meet in their first preseason contest on Sept. 19.