Kraken’s McCann ruled out Monday, day-to-day with lower-body injury

The Seattle Kraken announced on Monday that forward Jared McCann will miss Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers and is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

McCann, now in his fifth season as one of the initial members of the Kraken, was off to an excellent start to the year. In his five games played, he’d tallied a team-high three goals and dished out an assist for four points on an average of 17:17 of time on ice per game with 14 total shots on goal.

Seattle will have to go without their first-line left winger against the Flyers on Monday, as he’d been primarily skating with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. First-year head coach Lane Lambert could elevate Jaden Schwartz, Eeli Tolvanen or Mason Marchment to the role.

McCann’s ailment is another in a run of brutal injury luck for the Kraken’s forward group, as Kaapo Kakko (hand) and Frederick Gaudreau (upper-body) are both currently on injured reserve, providing a tough test for the team’s depth in the first month of the year.

The defense has not been spared, either, as Ryker Evans is on injured reserve as well, and Ryan Lindgren got hurt in the team’s last game.

The Kraken have fared very well overall, as they own a 3-0-2 record, making them one of just four teams yet to suffer a regulation loss. Seattle earned a gutsy 4-3 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday as they completed a 1-0-2 swing through Eastern Canada.

The Kraken’s lengthy road trip continues in the City of Brotherly Love on Monday before further stops in Washington D.C. and Winnipeg before the team finally returns home to take on Edmonton on Saturday.

Seattle is making a bid for its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2022-23 campaign, and while they’re off to a strong start, getting McCann back in the lineup in short order would be a considerable help.