Jake O’Brien’s impressive training camp has put him firmly in the Kraken’s NHL roster conversation, but a lower-body injury could keep him out of the preseason’s final stretch.
Jake O’Brien had spent training camp doing everything possible to make the Seattle Kraken’s roster. Now, with the regular season less than two weeks away, the 19-year-old center is dealing with an injury that could complicate that push.
The Kraken announced that O’Brien is day-to-day with a lower-body ailment, the same issue that kept him out of game action during rookie camp. However, per head coach Lane Lambert, the move is precautionary.
O’Brien played in Seattle’s preseason opener against the Vancouver Canucks, scoring a goal and adding an assist before sticking with the team through its first round of roster cuts to 25 players.
That left O’Brien just two players above the regular-season roster limit and in the conversation for an NHL job.
However, the latest setback could prevent O’Brien from appearing in another preseason game, but it does not necessarily end his chances of making the Kraken when the regular season begins Oct. 1. If Seattle chooses to play it safe, O’Brien could still make the roster and be ready to go when the season starts.
Nonetheless, there are limited spots available, and every opportunity to make an impression matters. If O’Brien is unable to play for the remainder of the preseason, his competition will have more chances to show the coaching staff what they can bring to the lineup.
Regardless of how that plays out, O’Brien also has another option under a new rule that allows each NHL team to have one 19-year-old player who was selected in the first round play in the AHL. O’Brien qualifies after Seattle selected him eighth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft.
He earned that selection after recording 98 points in 66 games with the Brantford Bulldogs. O’Brien returned to Brantford last season and produced 93 points in 53 games, then added 23 points in 15 playoff appearances.
The Kraken have been in rebuild mode for the past several seasons, but O'Brien may be special enough that he may have already secured his spot on the NHL roster.
