Brandon Montour Polishing Off Historic Season for Kraken
Brandon Montour of the Seattle Kraken skates through cones during a skill competition at the NHL All-Star weekend festivities. Credit: Jennthulhu Photos
When the Seattle Kraken signed Brandon Montour in free agency last summer, it brought instant credibility to Seattle's defensive lineup.
The defenseman had just won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. He wasn't just a bystander for that title run either, playing in 24 postseason games while racking up 11 points with over 22 minutes of average time on the ice per game. The Panthers needed Montour's efforts to push over the goal line to get that elusive Stanley Cup.
Now in Seattle, Montour is playing in a somewhat different environment. As of now, the Kraken are not in hot contention for a Stanley Cup. In fact, their playoff chances are basically zero, especially after the selloff at the trade deadline earlier this month with an eye towards the future.
That hasn't stopped Montour from being one of the best skaters in a Kraken uniform all season, however. Seattle signed the Brantford, Ontario native to a seven-year, $50 million deal to be a steady veteran presence on an increasingly younger and younger Kraken squad.
While it hasn’t translated in the wins/losses column, that is exactly what Montour has been thus far. In fact, you could call his 2024-25 campaign in Seattle "historic." His 16 goals are the most scored by any defenseman in Kraken history.
Not only does he own that little piece of franchise history, but he also now owns the fastest goal scored in NHL history when beginning overtime, finding the back of the net for a game winner in just four seconds.
Montour is also the only Kraken defenseman to this point that has notched a hat trick, which he did on October 29 in Montreal.
Essentially, Montour is having perhaps the best single season by a blueliner in Kraken history. And this is just year one of seven under his current deal.
Given the franchise’s situation at the moment, Montour appears to be a solid building block to build around with a bunch of draft capital to infuse more young talent onto the roster. Even though he is 30 years old, the Kraken could get a lot out of him over the next few seasons as they try to add more talent to the mix to get back into contention. Plenty of quality defenders play into their mid or even late 30s.
The Kraken aren’t tearing everything down; they’re reshaping and reloading. With foundational pieces like Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, and goalie Joey Daccord in place, they aren’t looking at a five-year rebuild. They’re aiming for a quicker turnaround. Montour can be a steady presence through that process, helping keep Seattle competitive while younger players develop with sights on a Stanley Cup run down the line.
Montour had a very successful first season in Seattle. Now, with an eye towards next year, he becomes a key part of what they want to build in 2026 and beyond.
