Kraken’s Brandon Montour takes leave of absence

The Seattle Kraken announced Saturday that defenseman Brandon Montour will be taking a temporary leave of absence to attend to a family matter.

The team said no further details would be shared at this time.

Montour, 31, is in his second season with Seattle after signing a seven-year, $49.99 million contract in July 2024 that would pay him an annual average value (AAV) of $7.14 million. In 85 games with the Kraken, Montour has 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points, averaging 22:58 of ice time.

Now in his 10th NHL campaign, Montour, a native of Brantford, Ont., has recorded 84 goals and 213 assists for 297 points in 605 career regular-season games with the Kraken, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres.

Montour has also played in 82 career postseason games, scoring 11 goals and adding 24 assist for 35 points. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Panthers in 2023, contributing three goals and eight assts for 11 points that spring.

Montour scored a career-high 18 goals with Seattle last season, and hit career highs in assists (57) and points (73) as a member of the Panthers in 2022-23.

He also spent parts of three seasons in the American Hockey League, recording 26 goals and 73 assists for 99 points in 118 regular-season games with the Norfolk Admirals and San Diego Gulls.

The Kraken are 2-0-2 with six points through four games in 2025-26, having lost their last two games 4-3 in a shootout to the Ottawa Senators and 5-4 in overtime to the Montreal Canadiens.

In 2024-25, Seattle went 35-41-6 with 76 points, seventh in the Pacific Division and 13th in the Western Conference, 20 points shy of a playoff spot.