Kraken captain Jordan Eberle set to return after 40-game absence following pelvic surgery

Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle will make his long-awaited return to the lineup Saturday versus the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers after missing the past 40 games following pelvic surgery, announced Kraken general manager Ron Francis.

“With what he’s dealt with, which was a significant injury, and it’s going to be three months that he’s out of the lineup, the fact that he’s worked so hard to get himself back and have this opportunity to get back and play is great,” Francis told team reporter Alison Lukan. “And certainly, for us, when you lose your captain, you know he’s not only a good player for you on the ice, but he’s a voice for you in the locker room and helping kind of steer through the season, you missed that. So, getting him back on a lot of fronts is going to be beneficial.”

Sidelined since mid-November, Eberle has been limited to 17 appearances on the season in which he has tallied six goals and five assists for 11 points alongside six penalty minutes and a plus-three rating. During the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the first-year Kraken captain was assigned to the AHL affiliated Coachella Valley Firebirds as part of a conditioning loan but did not see game action.

Originally chosen by the Kraken as part of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, Eberle has spent part of four seasons in Seattle, underscored by the 2022-23 campaign where through 72 outings he scored 20 times and added 43 assists to finish with 63 points.

Selected 22nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2008 NHL Draft, Eberle has totaled 1,035 career contests with the Oilers, New York Islanders, and Kraken in which he has amassed 305 goals and 408 assists for 713 points. The 34-year-old native of Regina, Sask., has also added 47 points counting 19 goals and 28 assists through 76 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.