Even Ron Francis, historically conservative in his wheelings and dealings, could not steer clear of the free agency indulgence that took the league by storm bright and early Monday morning.
The acquisitions of Brandon Montour, 30, and Chandler Stephenson, 30, while explosive in their own right, represent exploration into uncharted territory for the general manager. They’re the first seven-year deals Francis has signed in a championship-less executive career spanning two teams over nearly a decade.
Over $1 billion worth of contracts were signed following Monday alone, free agency’s largest opening day in league history, characterized by lengthy term. Montour officially put pen to paper on a $7.14 million AAV deal at the market’s kickoff, the product of permission granted by the Florida Panthers to talk to the Kraken ahead of time. And while his acquisition demanded more convincing, Stephenson cashed out on a similarly hefty payday, one carrying an annual salary of $6.25 million.
Many of the market’s top free agents signed seven- and eight-year deals with teams fresh out of the postseason, including Sam Reinhart, Elias Lindholm, and Jake Guentzel. At the very least, Seattle looks the part of a contending team– Francis’ comments made clear his satisfaction of both Montour and Stephenson’s previous postseason triumphs.
“The addition of Montour, that’s an offensive piece on the backend, he’s playing 23, 24 minutes for a Cup-winning team, brings a Stanley Cup into the locker room. Stephenson is a really good two-way guy, plays with pace, has a sneaky skill set. He brings two Cups into the locker room as well.”
Stephenson recorded 51 points in 75 games with the Vegas Golden Knights last season, Montour only 33 points in 66 games with the Panthers– but notching 73 points in 80 games in 2022-23 no doubt caught the organization’s eye.
Montour was the only skater made available to the media. Over Zoom, he explained the process of signing with Seattle started as early as last offseason, upon exploring future options ahead of his contract expiry. Part of the allure was the Kraken’s drive to “win soon.” A little courting didn’t hurt, either.
“I wanted somebody that wanted me,” Montour said. “Seattle came and had that interest.”
Responding to a question about his willingness to step out of his comfort zone in free agency, Francis admitted that at “this time of year,” teams hesitant to commit to anything comparable to seven years and $50 million are left in the dust. Ownership, he said, has always given him the “green light to spend to the cap,” leaving questions unanswered about every offseason in which the Kraken have not done so.
Additionally, there are concerns as to whether signing two skaters to contracts that will see them deep into their thirties adequately balances the need to improve at present with planning for the future. Patience, a value that has characterized the franchise from their beginnings– at their request– has taken a backseat to aggressive attempts at immediate improvements. Francis denied pressure from ownership.
Regardless, the deals are done. Full NTCs in the beginning of each keep the Kraken’s crown jewels around for the foreseeable future. Francis got the managerial monkey off his back– for now.
“We got to the point this year [where] we felt these were two players that we needed in our lineup to help us be successful.”
Beyond Montour and Stephenson, Francis reported depth signings would be the last of the day’s activity. Ben Meyers (1x$77k), Mitchell Stephens (2x$775k), Brandon Biro (1x775k), Nikolas Brouillard (1x$775k), and Maxime Lajoie (1x775k) have agreed to deals and will round out the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ roster.
Ales Stezka will take over the third-string role in the goaltending depth chart following Chris Driedger’s return to the Florida Panthers in free agency. 2022 2nd-round pick Niklas Kokko is primed to back him up in Coachella Valley, officially making the jump from Europe to North America. It sounds like leftover ice time will be shared by Victor Östman and Jack LaFontaine, split between the AHL and the team’s ECHL affiliate Kansas City Mavericks.
As for the team’s remaining RFAs, more conversations will be had with Matty Beniers’ camp Tuesday– negotiations are “moving forward, but [are] not there yet,” according to Francis. Eeli Tolvanen and Peetro Seppälä still need contracts after being dealt qualifying offers Sunday.
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