Brandon Montour won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last week. However, after the Panthers extended Sam Reinhart, his time in South Florida is set to come to an end. Montour will hit the open market at 12 PM Eastern Time on Monday, but he won't be available long. The veteran defenseman is set to sign a seven-year contract with the Seattle Kraken in NHL Free Agency, according to Elliotte Friedman.
The Kraken had a rather disappointing season in 2023-24. They made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their second year in existence in 2022-23. Seattle shocked the hockey world by defeating the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round, as well. In fact, the Kraken were within a game of the 2023 Western Conference Final. However, they missed the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs altogether.
Brandon Montour certainly makes Seattle more competitive. He scored 147 points for the Panthers through 239 games in South Florida. The veteran rearguard suffered an injury that delayed the start of his 2023-24 campaign. As a result, he was limited to 33 points in 66 games. But his season culminated with the first Stanley Cup of his career.
What the Kraken are getting in Brandon Montour
Montour began his career with the Anaheim Ducks after being drafted in 2014. And he got off to a fine start, scoring around 25-30 points in two full seasons in Orange County. However, things took a nose dive after the Ducks traded Montour to the Buffalo Sabres in 2019.
Montour simply did not fit with the Sabres. He failed to reach 20 points in each of the three seasons he spent in New York. In 2021, though, he played well enough to earn another trade. The Panthers acquired his services at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline.
The soon-to-be Kraken rearguard began to find his game in Florida. He recorded a career-high 37 points in his first full season with the Panthers. In 2022-23, he absolutely broke out. Montour scored 16 goals and 73 points as Florida snuck into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He helped the Panthers make the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, where he lost.
An injury suffered in that Final limited his 2023-24 campaign to 66 games. Still, he scored eight goals and 33 points to help Florida win the Atlantic Division. They once again made the Stanley Cup Final, this time defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
The Kraken are getting another offensive force from the blueline with this contract. He balances well with their more defensively inclined blueliners and should mesh well with star Vince Dunn. There is risk with the seven-year term in this deal. But the Kraken believe they are landing a big fish in NHL Free Agency.
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