Seattle Kraken’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Jaden Schwartz – The Hockey Writers – Seattle Kraken

The 2025-26 season was a roller coaster for the Seattle Kraken. They had their best start ever and won their first home opener in their five seasons in the league. The Kraken were primed to take a playoff spot by American Thanksgiving, which is usually a decent indicator of who will make the postseason. With two major downswings in December and at the end of the season, the Kraken finished with a final record of 34-37-11. 

At the end of the day, there is no one person to blame for the Kraken’s demise. Hockey is a team sport, and it was a team effort in the end. Each player did their part to try and give Seattle a fighting chance at the postseason, but unfortunately, it was not enough. Some players had better performances than others. In this installment of the 2025-26 Kraken report cards, we’ll analyze and grade forward Jaden Schwartz’s performance.

Performance with Seattle

The injury bug bit Seattle last season, and Schwartz was one of the players who succumbed to it. He played in 50 games and recorded 26 points (11 goals and 15 assists). He was out multiple times due to a number of injuries: two lower-body injuries in the beginning of the season and a frightening moment back in March when he took a skate blade to the face.

Schwartz recorded his first point in the Kraken’s first game of the season, Oct. 9. He recorded the secondary assist on Vince Dunn’s goal, the team’s first of the season. Just two games later, Schwartz scored his first goal of the season, a power-play marker, against the Montreal Canadiens. That kicked off a three-game point streak.

Schwartz had two multi-point games: Oct. 23, where he scored two goals and recorded an assist, and Nov. 15, where he scored two goals. Due to his injuries, Schwartz wasn’t as consistent scoring for the Kraken as he has been in the past, as he had to spend time off the ice to heal.

Impact on Seattle

When Schwartz was in the Kraken lineup, he was versatile, flexing to either the second or third line on either left or right wing, with Chandler Stephenson or Shane Wright at center.

Schwartz helped create scoring chances within the middle six, which was something that the Kraken needed. As he missed 32 games, Schwartz wasn’t as consistent at finding those scoring chances as he would have liked to be. However, he still provided those chances to the best of his ability when he was on the ice.

Future in the NHL

Schwartz hit the free-agent market this offseason and on July 2, signed a three-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche with an average annual value of $3.25 million. He will become an unrestricted free agent again in 2029 at age 37.

Schwartz was an original member of the inaugural Kraken team after he signed with Seattle as a free agent. He quickly stepped up into a scoring role and made a quick impact. It will be tough for the Kraken to fill Schwartz’s hole in the lineup.

Overall Grade

For the 2025-26 season, Schwartz receives a B-. When a player is injured for a good chunk of the season, it is hard for them to get into the consistent rhythm of scoring. It is unfortunate that Schwartz was injured as much as he was last season, but he did the best he could with the time he spent on the ice.

We wish Schwartz the best of luck in Colorado this season.