The Seattle Kraken have signed defenseman Cale Fleury to a two-year, $1.6 million contract. According to CapFriendly, the contract will have an average annual value (AAV) of $800,000.
Fleury was one of 22 restricted free agents who filed for salary arbitration, but now with a new contract signed and sealed, a hearing won’t be necessary.
The 24-year-old spent the 2022-23 season with the Kraken, appearing in 12 games, notching one assist, 13 blocked shots, and 28 hits.
Fleury was initially selected No. 87 overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL Draft. Fleury spent four years in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he captained the now-relocated Kootenay Ice (Wenatchee Wild) for two seasons.
In 2017-18 the Ice dealt Fleury to the Regina Pats; the Pats were hosting the 100th Memorial Cup that season and were loading up with the top players around the league. He notched six goals and 35 assists for 41 points in 50 games with the Pats. He added four points in seven WHL Playoff games and picked up one assist in five Memorial Cup games as the Pats lost in the final game to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Throughout 269 WHL games, he collected 32 goals and 95 assists for 127 points in 269 games.
Fleury made his AHL debut with the Laval Rocket in 2018-19; during his rookie campaign, he notched 23 points in 60 games. The following season, Fleury made his NHL debut with the Canadiens. He scored his first NHL goal on November 16, 2019, against the New Jersey Devils. He appeared in 41 games, scoring just the lone goal.
In 2021-22, Fleury was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He made his Kraken debut that season, appearing in nine games. He also spent time in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, notching 33 points in 58 games.
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