Overview
- The Seattle Kraken and Olczyk announced in late July 2026 that he will not return to the team’s regional TV booth after four seasons.
- Olczyk said he is moving back to Chicago for personal and family reasons and that the heavy travel between Chicago, Seattle, and national assignments prompted his decision.
- He is not retiring and will continue calling national NHL games for TNT while no longer being assigned to a single team this season.
- J.T. Brown is set to assume the Kraken’s lead full-time analyst duties and the team expects to continue using the Forslund–Brown pairing for regional broadcasts.
- Olczyk is an Emmy-winning, long‑time NHL broadcaster with deep family ties to the Kraken organization, and his shift away from team work may reduce his travel and change the local broadcast dynamic while keeping his national visibility intact.