Kraken’s Brandon Montour being evaluated for injury
The Seattle Kraken could be without one of their most relied-upon defensemen for some time.
According to Kraken head coach Lane Lambert, Montour is being evaulated for an injury he suffered during Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, and he is not expected to play in Thursday’s game against the Calgary Flames.
Brandon Montour is being evaluated today for the injury he suffered last night vs. COL, per Lane Lambert. Lambert doesn't expect him to play tomorrow in Calgary. #SEAKraken
Montour, 31, exited Tuesday’s game early after getting into a post-whistle wrestling match with Colorado’s Brent Burns.
Brandon Montour taken out after a scuffle with Brent Burns. The hit was nasty, unclear how bad the injury is. #NHLNews #BrandonMontour #BrentBurns
It would be a significant loss for Seattle, as Montour is second on the team in average ice time with just under 22 minutes per game. He is also tied for fifth on the team in scoring, with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 27 games.
The Brantford, Ontario native is in the second season of a seven-year, $50 million deal with the Kraken. Last season, he put up 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points in 81 games played, while averaging a tick under 23 minutes of ice time per game.
Selected out of the USHL in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, Montour would spend the first two-plus years of his career in Anaheim before being traded in February of 2019 to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick.
After only one complete season in Buffalo, Montour was dealt to the Florida Panthers for a third-round pick just ahead of the 2021 trade deadline.
It was in Florida where Montour would see his greatest success. He had his undoubtedly career-best campaign in the 2022-23 season, when he notched 16 goals and 57 assists for 73 points in 80 games and finished tied for 12th in voting for the Norris Trophy. Montour then won a Stanley Cup with the Panthers in the 2023-24 season.
After three-plus seasons in Florida, Montour signed as an unrestricted free agent with Seattle.