Kraken sign Ryker Evans to two-year contract

The Seattle Kraken have signed 23-year-old defenseman Ryker Evans to a two-year contract worth $4.1 million through the end of the 2026-27 season, the team announced on Monday.

Now a former restricted free agent, Evans initially joined the Kraken after being selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Since signing his first NHL deal, Evans has played parts of two seasons in the NHL, including 36 games in 2022-23, before completing his first full NHL campaign with 76 games in the 2024-25 season, where he finished with five goals and 25 points.

In total, Evans has scored six goals and 34 points in 109 NHL regular-season games, while also spending significant time with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, where he has scored eight goals and 59 points in 96 regular-season games.

With Coachella Valley, he also has skated in 44 Calder Cup Playoff games and helped the team to the 2023 and 2024 Calder Cup Finals, where they fell twice to the Washington Capitals’ affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

Before embarking on his professional career, Evans played four seasons with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League and gained recognition as a skilled, undersized blueliner before developing into the six-foot, 195-pound frame he currently plays at.

“Ryker took a positive step forward in his first full season in the NHL,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said in a team release. “Since turning pro, he’s shown improvement year over year, and we’re confident he’ll take his game to another level next season. We’re happy to have him under contract.”

The Kraken missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024-25, but will hope to kickstart an improved campaign when they open the 2025-26 regular season against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 9.