Seattle Kraken sign Brandon Montour to 7-year contract with $7.14 million AAV

The Seattle Kraken have signed defenseman Brandon Montour to a 7-year contract with a $7.14 million cap hit, according to Elliotte Friedman.

Montour is a UFA after the conclusion of his three-year contract with a $3.5 million cap hit that he signed with the Florida Panthers. He receives a raise of $3.64 million per season, with his new contract having the highest AAV of his career. With this new contract, the Kraken lock him up until he’s 37 years old at 8.11% of the 2024-25 salary cap.

There are currently no details regarding any no-move/no-trade clauses or signing bonuses with this contract.

With his new deal, Montour will have the 32nd-highest cap hit among defensemen next season. His closest cap hit comparables are Filip Hronek and Devon Toews, who have a $7.25 million AAV.

Montour had a bit of a step back last season from his 73-point season in 2022-23, as he had just 8 goals and 25 assists for 33 points in 66 games.

Montour also had 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points in 22 games as the Panthers went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Montour was a second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 NHL Draft, and after making his NHL debut in the 2016-17 season, he went on to play parts of three seasons in Anaheim before he was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres for Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick that became Brayden Tracey at the 2019 trade deadline. He then played out the rest of that season and two more with the Sabres before he was dealt to the Panthers in the 2020 offseason for a third-round pick that became Stiven Sardarian.

Montour is the first signing of the day for the Kraken with the deal coming at the start of the free agency period. They have just over $16 million in projected salary cap space after the signing, with two restricted free agents currently on their NHL roster in Matthew Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen.