SEATTLE -- Jordan Eberle is relieved to still be with the Seattle Kraken for his 1,000th NHL game, which will take place when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, ROOT-NW, SNP, SNO, SNE).
The 33-year-old forward signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract ($4.75 million average annual value) Friday, completed at the 11th hour before the NHL Trade Deadline and ending speculation that Eberle could be moved. He knew that had an agreement on a contract not been reached, he may have played No. 1,000 elsewhere.
“That went through my mind, no question,” Eberle said Monday. “I knew, obviously, which game it was going to be in, and then you know the date of the Deadline. So, it's just … it crossed my mind, but it didn't really go into my decision [to re-sign with Seattle] at all.”
Eberle maintained from the beginning of the season that he wanted to stay with the Kraken beyond this season.
“I think, first and foremost, my goal was to get a deal done here,” Eberle said. “I expressed I wanted to be here, but ultimately, if that didn't happen, who knows what would have happened?
“This game is funny in that there's a lot of uncontrollables that we can't control. And you just kind of have to go day by day, especially when you get into those situations of the Deadline.”
With his future solidified, Eberle has turned his attention to the game Tuesday, which is important for he and the Kraken (28-24-11), who trail the Golden Knights (34-23-7) by eight points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
“I'll take time and reflect, and I'll try and enjoy it as much as I can,” Eberle said. “But, I mean, you look at where we are [in the standings], it's the biggest game of the year, too, so there's a lot going on, and I'm excited for that.”
Eberle is in his 14th NHL season and third with Seattle after being selected from the New York Islanders in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He began his career with the Edmonton Oilers, who chose him in the first round (No. 22) of the 2008 NHL Draft. He played his first seven seasons with Edmonton before being traded to New York on June 22, 2017. He played four seasons for the Islanders, which included back-to-back trips to the third round of the playoffs (2020, 2021).
“I got a chance to come in, starting with the Oilers, and they have all that history of the dynasties and the teams they had,” Eberle said. “Then I went to the Islanders who were the same thing, they had all that history. But it was neat to be part of a group [in Seattle] from Day One, and the history starts with us. So, it's been fun to be on that journey, making the playoffs last year, and hopefully we can continue that and continue to build it here.”
Eberle enters with 695 points (296 goals, 399 assists), including 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) this season in 59 games this season. An eight-time 20-goal scorer, he said he couldn’t have reached this level of success without a strong support system, including family and friends expected to be in attendance Tuesday.
“I think as you get older and the games start adding up, [1,000] is a number that people put a lot of emphasis on,” Eberle said. “Obviously you get a silver stick, and I'm very honored, and I've had a lot of good teammates and coaches. But I’ve had people from the start of my life support me to get to this spot. I don't think anyone who gets to the NHL level or plays this long doesn't have people to support them.”
