Seattle, WA
Seattle Kraken voice details key to team’s surprising start
The Seattle Kraken have been one of NHL’s biggest surprises at the quarter poll of the 2025-26 season.
Seattle Kraken get top goalie back from IR, but lose another to injury
After a disappointing 2024-25 campaign led to the firing of head coach Dan Bylsma following his first season, the Kraken have turned things around early on under new bench boss Lane Lambert.
Seattle entered Saturday in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 10-5-5 and 25 points, just two points behind first-place Anaheim in a crowded race.
Kraken play-by-play voice John Forslund shared his insight on how the team has taken a step forward this year when he joined Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Friday.
“Lane Lambert has done a remarkable job from day one of training camp just coming in and letting everybody know I’m the new sheriff, this is how we need to play, it’s not that complicated, I need a buy-in from the players,” Forslund said. “And as you know, that’s the most important thing in pro sports. You have to have a buy-in no matter what the game is, and they have (bought in).”
An identity that fits
One look at the stat sheet gives a pretty clear indicator as to why the Kraken have taken a step forward early on. Seattle’s 56 goals allowed are tied for the lowest mark in the Pacific Division and the fourth-lowest across the NHL. It’s held opponents to two goals or fewer nine times.
Last year the Kraken allowed the 10th-most goals (265) in the league.
“It gets back to where they were last year. So last season, for me – and I said it over and over again, wasn’t afraid to say it – but it was their lack of defensive recognition, their lack of awareness in the defensive zone, the (lack of) trust they had in each other as a five-man group in front of the goalie,” Forslund said. “That’s hockey. That’s how you play the game. And Lane had to come in and lay down a system that would get to those basics. (It’s) like building a house. You don’t start with the roof. You start with the foundation and you work up.
“So if you do that, you can awaken a team. You can provide more energy.”
While their defense has been among the league’s best, the Kraken have struggled to score this year. Their 54 goals are tied for the third-lowest mark in the league, and they’ve been held to two or fewer goals in eight games.
The lack of firepower on offense has been a troubling sign for Seattle, but it also illustrates why a shift to a more defensive identity under Lambert is a better fit for this group, according to Forslund.
“The Kraken do not have high-end offensive talent. That’s the one thing they need,” Forslund said. “… They don’t have guys who can break the game open on their own talent. Other teams do. (Other teams) can get away with playing a game that maybe isn’t as based in a work ethic but more or less based on talent, and they can win and they can outscore their chances or outscore their problems. The Kraken don’t have that.
“So you had to get back to that (defensive identity) and he did it, and he did it in short order. And because he did, they started to gain momentum, and momentum leads to energy, leads to a new way of playing.”
Forslund highlighted how Seattle’s attempt to get more scoring out of its group a year ago ultimately led to exposing its defense.
“If you stretch out your game, take risks, try to do what they attempted to do last year and score, you’re gonna get victimized,” Forslund said. “So for me, I think this is a great starting point (this year). And I think if they just continue to play this way, it’ll get better and better and better. And who knows as you get into the second half of the year? The league is asleep on them, no one expected them to be very good. So that’s where they’re at right now, but people will become more aware of their style as we move forward with the season. It’ll get tougher and we’ll see where it goes.”
Why Forslund likes Seattle Kraken’s chances in Pacific
The race in the Pacific Division is very crowded early on with just four points separating its first- and sixth-place teams.
Forslund views Vegas, which is currently tied for second with 26 points, as the team to beat in the Pacific Division. He also highlighted a rising Anaheim squad as another contender.
But Forslund likes Seattle’s chances to continue surprising thanks the identity it’s taken on so far this season.
“I like the fact that they can compete with all of these teams, including Vegas, based on their style,” Forslund said. “And that’s gonna put them in a good position, because of all the teams that we talked about in the Pacific Division, the team that, to me, has the most grit and the ability to grind and make it tough to play against are the Kraken. They don’t have the talent level of Vegas, and they don’t have the talent level certainly of Edmonton and … even (Los Angeles), but they have the ability to grind games.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays form 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
Thursday: Seattle Kraken score 3 in third in 3-2 comeback win over Chicago
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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SEATTLE – High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures. Skies will be sunny, warm and dry through the middle of the week.
High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures.
What’s next:
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington, with highs in central and eastern Washington getting close to 100 degrees. The coast and northern interior will remain in the 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Risk Levels
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. East of the cascades is already dry and warm, so the increased chance of new fire starts will be something to watch with the storms.
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing inland Thursday. This low will increase changes of showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, and temperatures will be back to normal for this time of year. This cool down is short-lived as high pressure builds again and highs warm back up into the 80s by the weekend.
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing in Thursday.
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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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