- Kraken forward Jared McCann is out 10 weeks with a lower-body injury
- McCann went on injured reserve after missing Saturday’s loss to the Wild
- Read below for who steps up in Seattle’s lineup
The Kraken just lost one of their top forwards for a long stretch.
Seattle announced Sunday that Jared McCann will miss 10 weeks with a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve. Here’s the team’s announcement:
McCann sat out Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Wild, and the Kraken recalled Jani Nyman from AHL Coachella Valley as insurance. He played 16:42 in Thursday’s win over Utah, then missed practice Friday while being evaluated.
The 10-week timeline puts his return around the start of January.
The loss hurts because McCann had settled back into the go-to playmaker role on Seattle’s second line. He has three goals and five assists for eight points in 11 games, sixth on the team in scoring.
Last season he put up 40 points in 52 games but missed 30 games with multiple lower-body injuries. McCann is also in a contract year, which makes this a rough time to lose a chunk of the season.
Kaapo Kakko moved up to the top line Saturday with McCann out. Berkly Catton is the other name to watch. The 2024 eighth overall pick is one of four Kraken with nine points and has made the move to center, which pushed Shane Wright to the wing.
With McCann gone, Lane Lambert could slide Wright back to the middle and put Catton in the top six. Nyman, who has nine goals in nine AHL games this season, is the next man in line.
The Kraken beat the Red Wings earlier this week, but they now have a hole in the middle six for most of the next three months.
