Kraken sign Montour, Stephenson to 7-year contracts 

Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson each signed seven-year contracts with the Seattle Kraken on Monday.

Montour, a defenseman who won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season, signed a seven-year, $50 million contract with an average annual value of $7.14 million.

"I wanted somebody that wanted me," Montour said Monday. "And Seattle came and had that interest from... I don't know when it started, but it was a team that we thought about, obviously, and decided to come."

Stephenson, a center who won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23 and the Washington Capitals in 2017-18, signed a seven-year, $43.75 contract with an AAV of $6.25 million.

"In Stephenson, just a really good two-way guy, plays with pace, has a sneaky skill set," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. "Brings two Cups into the locker room as well, so, they checked a lot of boxes and we're excited to add them to our roster."

Montour had 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 66 regular-season games for the Panthers last season and 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"I mean, this week has been the best, crazy, worst, but, you know, the ups and downs of this whole week, you can't really describe," Montour said. "But I'm excited to be able to relax for a little bit and get this new journey started."

Montour set NHL career highs in goals (16), assists (57) and points (73) in 80 games for Florida in 2022-23.

"With the addition of Montour, that's an offensive piece on the back end," Francis said. "He's playing 23, 24 minutes for a Cup-winning team, brings a Stanley Cup into the locker room with him."

Selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (No. 55) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Montour has 252 points (66 goals, 186 assists) in 520 regular-season games for the Panthers, Buffalo Sabres and Ducks and 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 82 playoff games.

"With me, you're going just see the enjoyment, the love, the competitiveness," Montour said. "I think that's a big one for me is the competitiveness, and obviously, there's a lot of players on that team that have won."

Stephenson had 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 75 regular-season games last season and one assist in seven playoff games.

He has 270 points (89 goals, 181 assists) in 495 regular-season games, and 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) in 95 playoff games with the Capitals and Golden Knights.