During the free agent frenzy on Monday, July 1st, the Seattle Kraken announced two pretty large signings in quick succession, the first was Brandon Montour, and the second is Chandler Stephenson. Stephenson is a 30-year-old center that most recently played for the Vegas Golden Knights, playing a large part in two back-to-back playoff runs.
During the 2023-24 season with the Golden Knights, Stephenson played 75 games with a total of 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists). He played a large part in Vegas making it to the Stanley Cup Finals during the 2022-23 season with ten goals and ten assists over 22 games. Stephenson also helped lead the Washington Capitals to a Stanley Cup in 2018. After signing Stephenson, General Manager Ron Francis said, “We’re excited to welcome Chandler to the Kraken Organization. He brings a winning pedigree and offensive consistency to our team, and we are looking forward to him being a part of our lineup this season.”
Seattle offered Stephenson a seven year deal at $6.25 million per year. Like Montour, Stephenson offers a level of offensive depth that the Kraken need after their last season, averaging just 2.6 goals per game and finishing 29th out of 32 teams. Since losing Alex Wennberg at the trade deadline in March, the Kraken have needed help down the middle and adding Stephenson should certainly accomplish that.
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