The Kraken and alternate captain Jordan Eberle agreed to terms on a new contract early Friday to keep the veteran forward with Seattle for the playoff push and off the NHL Trade Deadline ledger. He signed for two more seasons at $4.75 million average annual value, ending all speculation he might be moved to a new team Friday.
“We are thrilled to have Jordan remain with the Kraken for the next two years,” said Seattle GM Ron Francis. “The extension is well-deserved and getting it done was a priority for us. Between his leadership in the locker room and his on-ice performance Jordan has been an important part of our franchise from day one. We are looking forward to many memorable moments with him on ice.”
The memories start Friday night in a home rematch with the Winnipeg Jets, then Tuesday when Vegas visits Climate Pledge Arena for a suddenly important game for both teams as the defending Stanley Cup champs have dipped to a wild-card position from second place in the Pacific Division. To add to Tuesday’s fun, Eberle is expected to play his 1,000th regular season game in the NHL. He has played 14 seasons with Edmonton, the New York Islanders and Seattle, and was named to the Kraken’s first representative to the NHL All-Star Game during the inaugural season.
Eberle’s extended family is no doubt both thrilled and relieved with a large party headed to Seattle this coming week from native Regina, SK, and other parts of North America to be on hand for Eberle’s landmark feat.
“I have a big family,” said Eberle during a one-on-one conversation Thursday. “I’ve got a brother [who played on youth teams with Jaden Schwartz’s brother], two sisters. They’re both married. They have kids. My mom and my dad and my wife's parents are coming and they have some other kids who are coming with their kids.
“With how expensive travel is and people are still taking the time to do that, it means a lot to me. I'm sure I'll get emotional when I speak to them.”
Eberle’s teammates will be emotional, too, whether seeing him Friday with the contract signed or lined up to appreciate his 1,000-game longevity next week. He is a popular and highly valued teammate, from playing on Matty Beniers’ wing from the touted 2021 top draft choice’s first game in April 2022 to helping infuse all-time Kraken goal scorer Jared McCann with the confidence to use “one of the best shots I’ve seen in this league” to being a player whom the likes for Hall of Fame player Ron Francis regularly seeks out for thoughts on the team’s play and mindset.
For his part, Eberle said Thursday he believes his mindset and aptitude for playing the highly desired “200-foot game” coveted by GM Francis (who was Exhibit A as a player) and head coach Dave Hakstol. The Kraken forward says his two-way play went next-level after his trade to the New York Islanders, which included a near-miss of making the 2020 Stanley Cup Final when now-teammate Yanni Gourde scored a shorthanded and only goal for Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference championship round.
“The game has evolved a lot since I first played in the NHL [debuting in the 2010-11 season].,” said Eberle Thursday with his new deal still in negotiation to have in the Kraken fold through the 2025-26 season. “My 200-foot game is still not where it needs to be. I want to grow and continue growing as a player.
“I have even more of a passion and a hunger to win and be at the rink now than I did when I was younger. When you have a good group and you enjoy coming to the rink and you still have passion for playing and winning and excelling, it motivates you to continue to use that and push myself to see how far we can go.”
The 33-year-old Eberle has notched 144 points (55 goals, 89 assists) in 219 regular-season games with the Kraken, ranking second in franchise history in goals, assists and points. He added 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Kraken last season, including an all-time highlight of scoring the overtime, game-winning goal in Game 4 of Seattle’s first round series against Colorado. Eberle is one of 10 players from the Kraken’s opening-night team in 2021 that remain on Seattle’s active roster, with the others being Will Borgen, Vince Dunn, Yanni Gourde, Philipp Grubauer, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak, Jaden Schwartz and Brandon Tanev.
With a stick tap for colleague Lindsey Brown, consider these stats beyond Eberle’s rank as the Kraken’s fourth-leading scorer this season with 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) in 58 games. When Eberle has been on the ice during 5-on-5 play this year, the Kraken have outscored their opponents 42-24 according to Natural Stat Trick. His 42 on-ice goals for are the most of any Kraken forward this year, and his plus-18 on-ice goal differential leads the team.
The forward had a milestone game on Jan. 28 against the Columbus Blue Jackets – with two goals and one assist, Eberle became the first player in franchise history to score two power-play goals in a game, the second player in franchise history to score 50 goals in total with the Kraken and tied the franchise record for points in a single period with three.
