Jason Botterill Is Coming in Hot This Summer, and Kraken Fans Should Be Paying Attention

The second-year GM just made it crystal clear: missing the playoffs was unacceptable, and he's about to get very aggressive in the offseason to fix it. Jason Botterill addressed the media Wednesday at Kraken Community Iceplex with a message that cut right to the point. "Bottom line is, we are not where we want to be after five years," he said. Translation: changes are coming, and they're coming fast.

Botterill Takes the Wheel

This is Botterill's first public statement since Ron Francis stepped down as team president two weeks ago. He called Francis a mentor and sounding board, but make no mistake: Botterill says he has "final say" on all decisions moving forward, and he's holding himself accountable for turning this thing around. He's already been busy, too. Exit interviews with players wrapped up last week, and he's spent time breaking down what went wrong down the stretch and what actually worked under head coach Lane Lambert.

"We have a strong foundation here, but changes need to be made," Botterill told reporters and those watching via livestream. He's not ruling anything out. The team will hunt the free agent market, evaluate trades, and find creative ways to keep developing the young core. But the focus is crystal clear: find players who fit Lambert's system, the kind that play with speed, attack every night, and compete hard.

The Forward Group Needs Work, Starting Now

Botterill specifically called out the forwards roster as his target. Right now, it's a weird mix of older veterans and super young talent with not much in between. That's a problem. The power play also tanked down the stretch after being a strength earlier, so special teams as a whole need an overhaul.

The GM was asked about comments Jared McCann made last week, where he suggested younger players didn't fully grasp the weight of missing the playoffs. Other players echoed that sentiment, pointing to a locker room culture that was too quiet and younger guys still learning the ropes.

The Organization Is Doing a Full Audit

CEO Tod Leiweke said ownership has already begun a formal "audit" of hockey operations and plans to bring in outside firms to evaluate the whole operation. That final report goes straight to majority owner Samantha Holloway. The goal? Find the problem areas, but also uncover the strengths they haven't fully tapped into yet. Leiweke made it clear: the adversity of that late-season collapse is going to fuel the improvements coming.

January showed what this team could do, going 10-5-2 in a league record 17 games over one month and sitting in third place in the Pacific Division. The question now is whether Botterill can make the right moves this summer to get them back there and past it. All eyes on what he does next.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.