After signing 6-year extension with Kraken, Bobby McMann confident in franchise’s future

SEATTLE (AP) — Rather than test free agency, Bobby McMann elected to stick with the Seattle Kraken for the long haul.

McMann, 30, signed a six-year deal worth $34.5 million on Sunday, the same day Seattle acquired fellow forward Mackie Samoskevich in a trade with the Florida Panthers. On Wednesday, McMann made it clear that all he needed was 18 games in the Emerald City last spring to determine he wanted to stick around through the 2031-32 season.

“There’s things that still need some work,” McMann said of the Kraken, “but they’ve obviously established that this is a great place to be, and I think that that’s the biggest reason why I want to be here.”

The Kraken acquired McMann in March to bolster the squad’s chances of qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Seattle missed the playoffs for the fourth time in their five years of existence. Seattle’s struggles prompted the franchise to pursue an internal audit to look for ways it can improve after failing to make the postseason for a third consecutive year.

McMann said he is confident in the direction of the team. He talked with both coach Lane Lambert and general manager Jason Botterill ahead of signing his contract.

“I think some of the biggest questions I had for management and coaching here in leaving after the season was, ‘What’s this team’s vision for the next couple of years?’ I think I kind of pressed them pretty hard about it,” McMann said. “Obviously, we didn’t have a great stretch at the end of the season. So, I wanted to be sure that the way this team was trending was going to be up and we were going to pour a lot into making this team a better team.”

If Seattle is to qualify for the playoffs again as quickly as 2026-27, having McMann maintain the level of play he provided in a breakout season would go a long way. McMann set NHL career highs in goals (29), assists (17) and points (46) in 2025-26.Of those 29 goals, 10 came with Seattle as he settled into a top-line role with plenty of time on the power play.

McMann recognizes he still has ample room to grow. As somebody who prides himself on registering plenty of shots on net, McMann would like to continue creating for the offensively-challenged Kraken. Seattle scored 2.73 goals per game in 2025-26, just 28th in the NHL.

“I like to shoot the puck,” McMann said. “I feel like I played with guys that are really great passers, were able to find me. I’m a shoot-first type of guy, and I like to get it off as quickly as possible.”

McMann, a late bloomer who did not make his NHL debut until he was 26 years old in 2023, envisions taking on a more significant leadership role next season, too. But above all, McMann wants to win, and believes the plethora of draft picks and prospects the Kraken have in place will make that possible throughout the entirety of his contract.

“I think that there is a great future for this organization, and I feel that I want to be a part of that,” McMann said. “I want to be a guy that can kind of establish a culture right away and bring those guys in and try and get those guys to be the best players that they can be.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Seattle Kraken center Bobby McMann moves the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of an NHL hockey game March 17, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - Seattle Kraken center Bobby McMann (74) plays during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, March 19, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bill DeWitt III was named chief executive officer of the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday after serving as team president since 2008.

The Cardinals also announced the promotion of Anuk Karunaratne to president of business operations as part of a restructuring following Chaim Bloom’s appointment as president of baseball operations last September.

“In some ways, it’s not that big of a change, as all of us up here have been working together closely for a couple years now,” DeWitt III said. “But in formalizing these roles, we’re just firming up the leadership structure that will lay the foundation for the next wave of organizational and team success.”

DeWitt III, 58, oversaw the opening of Busch Stadium in 2006 and the development and launch of Ballpark Village Phase I in 2014 and Phase II in 2020.

Bill DeWitt Jr. continues as chairman and principal owner and will continue his involvement in team baseball and business matters.

“Nothing’s really changed,” DeWitt Jr. said. “I stay in touch with obviously Bill III. Baseball (operations) stays in touch with me. I talk all the time, so I may or may not be here, but I’m here in spirit and available 24/7 so I’m tightly in touch with all the things we’re looking to do.”

Karunaratne joined the Cardinals in 2024 as senior vice president of business operations. He previously was the Toronto Blue Jays’ executive vice president of business operations.

“We all know what the Cardinals can be at their best,” Karunaratne said. “That’s what we’re building towards, and ultimately that matters. It matters to this organization, it matters to this city, and it matters to every one of our fans. We’re ready, and we’re going to get after it.”

The Cardinals qualified for postseason play 17 times in DeWitt Jr.’s first 27 seasons at the helm of the franchise and drew at least 2.9 million fans in every full season from 1998 through 2023.

The club, however, has not having made the postseason since 2022. Attendance has dropped to 30-year lows.

“Like the business, there’s been a lot of change, and it’s change that has been accelerating, probably over the last five years, and I think right now baseball organization is in good shape with Chaim and some of the changes he’s made,” DeWitt III said. “I come at it more as somebody that is ready and sort of willing to go a little deeper into the organization on the baseball side than perhaps I have in the past and just really learn. When you’re in this role for 18 years, you know everybody in the business side, so when issues come up, what people’s opinions are, you’re collecting them where people are coming from. I want to get to that point on the baseball side.”

DeWitt III’s promotion continues a family legacy in the game of baseball that dates back to his grandfather.

“I love pointing out my grandfather’s role here, he was here about 20 years as treasurer, worked with Branch Rickey, and that’s a point of pride for me,” DeWitt III said. “It’s pretty cool. It isn’t too often that you see, particularly in an organization like this, have that much heritage in one family.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn (0) celebrates with teammates afte a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)