2. Brandon Montour was third among NHL defensemen in offensive zone time percentage (47.6 percent), behind Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers (49.5 percent) and Brent Burns of the Carolina Hurricanes (47.7 percent) last season with the Florida Panthers.
Montour was instrumental in Florida's rise to Stanley Cup contention in recent seasons and its first championship last season, and now boosts Seattle's outlook at the position after signing a seven-year contract July 1. He brings a hard shot, having had two 100-plus mile per hour attempts last season (tied for sixth in NHL) and ranked in the 97th percentile of top shot speed (100.99 mph).
Montour specifically excelled at 5-on-5 play (44.9 percent offensive zone time percentage at even strength; 95th percentile) last season and could be a great fit on the Kraken's second pair while competing with fellow high-scoring defenseman Vince Dunn for first power-play usage, either together or separately. Montour also had a high shot volume from long range last season (80 long-range shots on goal; 95th percentile) and two seasons ago (125 in 2022-23; 98th percentile).