After making it to the playoffs and winning a round in 2023, Seattle had a disappointing setback in 2024, missing the playoffs entirely.
This summer, GM Ron Francis and the Kraken wasted no time starting the trek back to the playoffs.
On Monday, the Kraken signed coveted defenseman Brandon Montour and forward Chandler Stephenson, each to seven-year deals.
Montour and Stephenson won Stanley Cups with their respective teams in the last two seasons, Stephenson with one more in 2018, adding championship experience to a team looking to take the next step.
Cup-winning Montour Bolsters Kraken D-Core
The Seattle Kraken signed defenseman Brandon Montour to a seven-year, $50 million contract, with a cap hit of $7.15 million per year.
Coming off a career-high 73 points in 22-23, Montour totaled 33 points in an injury-shortened regular season, before his 11 points during the Panthers Cup run.
While there is a definite offensive upside, his real skill is moving the puck. The Kraken blue line is still thin, but Montour adds some stability. He may not be known as the most defensive defenseman, but it is still a much-needed upgrade.
Adam Larsson and Montour are about as deep as this defensive core gets, but with $11.6 million in cap space left, this is an issue they have room to fix in the future.
Kraken Deeper Down the Middle With Stephenson Addition
The Seattle Kraken signed two-time Stanley Cup champion Chandler Stephenson to a seven-year, $43.25 million contract, with a cap hit of $6.25 million per year.
Stephenson was a solid depth piece in Washington before turning into a primary point-getter in Vegas. He had 64 points in 21-22, and 65 points in 22-23, before dipping this past season to 51 points.
Stephenson has a career faceoff percentage of 52.6%, which shores up a weakness that the Kraken had last season. Moreover, having Stephenson allows Jared McCann to go back to the wing after playing center since the trade deadline.
Trading Wennberg opened up a spot for Stephenson this summer, while top prospect Shane Wright is set to finally make the team for good to fill another spot at center.
Honorable Mentions
In addition, the Seattle Kraken signed Ben Meyers, Brandon Biro, Nikolas Brouillard, and Maxime Lajoie to one-year deals, while signing Mitchell Stephens to a two-year deal.
It’s hard to know if this is enough change to bring the Kraken back to the playoffs, but we’re starting to Ron Francis’ vision take shape.
The Vegas Affect
In years gone by, expansion teams didn’t have a hope of success for the first handful of years. The expansion draft was minimal, and building a true contender took a long time.
Since Vegas joined the league in 2017 and within one year, they were in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Washington Capitals. Last year marked the sixth year of their existence, and they are already champions.
This quick success has changed the expectations for fanbases joining the league for years to come and speaks to the big-name signings the Kraken have made thus far.
Last year, not only did they make the playoffs, but they knocked off the defending Cup champs the Colorado Avalanche. Expectations were high heading into 23-24. There was a point in time when the playoffs seemed reachable, but the hole they dug themselves early was too big to climb out of.
As for 2024-25, the West is as deep as it has been for a long time. That being said, this is a great start. The key is, to be relevant enough in March to make a move at the deadline.
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