SEATTLE (AP) — Rather than test free agency, Bobby McMann elected to stick with the Seattle Kraken for the long haul.
McMann, 30, signed a six-year deal worth $34.5 million on Sunday, the same day Seattle acquired fellow forward Mackie Samoskevich in a trade with the Florida Panthers. On Wednesday, McMann made it clear that all he needed was 18 games in the Emerald City last spring to determine he wanted to stick around through the 2031-32 season.
“There’s things that still need some work,” McMann said of the Kraken, “but they’ve obviously established that this is a great place to be, and I think that that’s the biggest reason why I want to be here.”
The Kraken acquired McMann in March to bolster the squad’s chances of qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Seattle missed the playoffs for the fourth time in their five years of existence. Seattle’s struggles prompted the franchise to pursue an internal audit to look for ways it can improve after failing to make the postseason for a third consecutive year.
McMann said he is confident in the direction of the team. He talked with both coach Lane Lambert and general manager Jason Botterill ahead of signing his contract.
“I think some of the biggest questions I had for management and coaching here in leaving after the season was, ‘What’s this team’s vision for the next couple of years?’ I think I kind of pressed them pretty hard about it,” McMann said. “Obviously, we didn’t have a great stretch at the end of the season. So, I wanted to be sure that the way this team was trending was going to be up and we were going to pour a lot into making this team a better team.”
If Seattle is to qualify for the playoffs again as quickly as 2026-27, having McMann maintain the level of play he provided in a breakout season would go a long way. McMann set NHL career highs in goals (29), assists (17) and points (46) in 2025-26.Of those 29 goals, 10 came with Seattle as he settled into a top-line role with plenty of time on the power play.
McMann recognizes he still has ample room to grow. As somebody who prides himself on registering plenty of shots on net, McMann would like to continue creating for the offensively-challenged Kraken. Seattle scored 2.73 goals per game in 2025-26, just 28th in the NHL.
“I like to shoot the puck,” McMann said. “I feel like I played with guys that are really great passers, were able to find me. I’m a shoot-first type of guy, and I like to get it off as quickly as possible.”
McMann, a late bloomer who did not make his NHL debut until he was 26 years old in 2023, envisions taking on a more significant leadership role next season, too. But above all, McMann wants to win, and believes the plethora of draft picks and prospects the Kraken have in place will make that possible throughout the entirety of his contract.
“I think that there is a great future for this organization, and I feel that I want to be a part of that,” McMann said. “I want to be a guy that can kind of establish a culture right away and bring those guys in and try and get those guys to be the best players that they can be.”
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Andrew Destin, The Associated Press
