SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann will miss the team’s final three regular-season games with a lower-body injury.

The Kraken (34-34-11) were already eliminated from playoff contention ahead of Saturday’s 4-1 win against the Calgary Flames. McCann can now get a head start on preparing for the 2026-27 season.

McCann, 29, has appeared in 52 games and scored 20 goals, tied with Matty Beniers for second-most on the team. The regular in Seattle’s top six has scored at least 20 goals in each of his five seasons with the Kraken, who acquired McCann in the 2021 NHL expansion draft when Seattle started as a franchise.

McCann was a particularly impactful player for the Kraken in the 2022-23 season, which was the only year Seattle has made the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Kraken advanced to the second round, losing to the Dallas Stars in seven games, and McCann scored a career-high 40 goals during the regular season.

McCann, a first round pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft, is entering the final season of a five-year, $25 million contract.

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This story corrects the Kraken record to 34-34-11, and the date of the win over the Flames to Saturday.

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