Kraken sign D Brandon Montour, C Chandler Stephenson

The Seattle Kraken signed free agent defenseman Brandon Montour and center Chandler Stephenson to seven-year contracts on Monday.

Montour, who just completed a Stanley Cup championship season with the Florida Panthers, inked a $50 million contract with an average annual value of $7.14 million.

Stephenson, 30, won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 season and with the Washington Capitals in 2017-18. His new contract is for $43.75 million with an average value of $6.2 million.

Montour, 30, collected eight goals and 25 assists in 66 regular-season games, and three goals and eight assists in 24 playoff games last season.

"There's so many things that go into it," Montour told TSN on Monday. "Intriguing and you can see the passion that that sports city has. A team that was one win away from the conference finals, what, two years ago? ... It was a team that pressed on trying to win, wanting to win and that is their main goal to get there."

Montour was a second-round selection by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 NHL Draft. In 520 career regular-season games for the Ducks (2016-19), Buffalo Sables (2019-21) and Panthers (2021-24), Montour has 66 goals, 186 assists and a plus-40 rating in his career, with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 82 playoff games.

"Brandon is a proven winner, and we are thrilled to have him joining our organization," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. "We're looking forward to him making his Kraken debut in front of the best fans in the NHL."

Stephenson tallied 16 goals and 35 assists in 75 regular-season games for Vegas, and one assist in seven playoff contests last season.

He has 89 goals and 181 assists with a plus-51 rating in 495 regular-season games, and 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) in 95 playoff games over nine total seasons with the Capitals (2015-2019) and Golden Knights (2019-2024). The Capitals selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft.

--Field Level Media