Kraken’s Chandler Stephenson leaves game for undisclosed reasons

The Seattle Kraken have announced that center Chandler Stephenson has left Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Stephenson reportedly went down the Kraken’s tunnel to the dressing room late in the second period, and did not return for the rest of the frame, with the Kraken confirming his absence for the third period. It’s unclear as to why Stephenson left the game, and if it was an injury, what caused it.

More details on Stephenson will likely be revealed by Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma after the game. If not then, the Kraken don’t play next until Saturday, so we’ll likely learn about Stephenson’s status before that game.

Stephenson had one shot and two takeaways in 11:33 of ice time as the Kraken went on to lose 4-0 to the Wild.

With Stephenson out, it threw the Kraken’s forward lines into a bit of a scramble in the third period. Shane Wright appeared to be the primary replacement on Stephenson’s line with Eeli Tolvanen and Jordan Eberle, although all three played on different combinations of top nine lines.

Stephenson has had a disappointing first season with the Kraken considering the contract he signed with the team, as he has just 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points in 69 games. While the 57-point pace does exceed his performance last season, it’s not quite at the level that he performed at in his prime with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Should Stephenson miss any more time this season, Tye Kartye was the Kraken’s lone healthy scratch at forward and will probably draw into the lineup in his place. Kartye has 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in 54 games for Seattle this season.

The Kraken currently sit in seventh in the Pacific Division with a 30-34-5 record, which is 10 points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. Seattle will look to bounce back from their loss to the Wild when they visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at 7 p.m. PST.