They don’t ask how, they ask how many.The Kraken have only made one playoff appearance and won one series in five seasons.It’s somewhat understandable for a team that preached a more patient approach on Day 1. But all this time later, there is still a lot of work to do to become a true contender.There’s been coaching turnover and front-office shakeups, but the roster still needs a spark. And big-picture, this team still needs direction, because no matter how many changes have been made it still seems like Seattle is aiming to be a 95-point team. That’s not near contender worthy, let alone championship-caliber.Here’s where the Kraken stand going into the 2026-27 season, using the Cup Checklist. All projected values are age-adjusted based on each player’s profile of comparable peers.What the Kraken have Matty Beniers is on the fringes of being a true elite core player. His defensive game has become so strong that it excuses what he lacks on the other end of the ice, with a projected plus-4.3 Net Rating.Joey Daccord earned the starter’s net and showed he has the chops to be a No. 1 last year. That track record helps keep his projected Net Rating as passable in this capacity, despite a shaky 2025-26. Luckily for Seattle, Philipp Grubauer stepped up to share the net, and their combined efforts were the driving force behind the Kraken staying in the playoff race for most of the season. But his track record is also pretty up-and-down, which was what opened the door to Daccord taking over in the first place. So the more Daccord can stabilize his game, the better positioned this team will be.Seattle has more help in the support and depth tiers, as things currently stand.Despite some weaknesses in his own zone, Vince Dunn checks the box as a scoring defenseman with a plus-6.1 Offensive Rating. Up front, Jared McCann had a real positive influence on the Kraken’s offense when he was healthy this year. Shane Wright is starting to come into his own in extremely sheltered minutes, too. Jordan Eberle’s production was pretty consistent this year, and Kaapo Kakko has boosted his scoring and two-way play since moving to Seattle.What the Kraken need As much as the Kraken’s deep approach may have worked in 2023, hockey is a strong link game. So every team should be looking for game-breakers at the top of the lineup. That’s exactly what Seattle is missing at forward and on defense, despite picking top-10 in four of the last five years.