Kraken Recall Defenseman Ville Ottavainen From Coachella Valley

This transaction is likely due to the announcement they made yesterday: Brandon Montour is taking a temporary leave of absence to attend to a family matter. To keep the blue line in order, Seattle now has Ottavainen.

Ottavainen was drafted by Seattle in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He has spent the majority of his time with the franchise playing with the Firebirds in the American Hockey League (AHL). Since the 2022-23 season, he has played 142 games and recorded 49 points via 11 goals and 38 assists. He also played in two playoff runs with the Firebirds in 2024 and 2025, and recorded five postseason points.

Ottavainen previously played with Seattle for one game in the 2024-25 season. It was their last of the season on April 15 against the Los Angeles Kings. He recorded one assist and spent a total of 14:24 on the ice amongst 16 shifts.

During the preseason, he played in three games with Seattle. He didn’t record any points and was a minus-1. He also recorded a total of 14 penalty minutes, second to John Hayden in the preseason.

According to Puckpedia, Ottavainen will play in Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He will be paired with Josh Mahura. After his overtime game-winning goal on Saturday, all eyes are on Mahura. Ottavinen will be in good hands with him as his mentor.

It is unclear how long Ottavainen will be with Seattle. There is no word on Montour’s leave status. Of course, he needs to take all the time he needs; his own personal situation comes first. Here’s hoping everything is okay with him. On top of losing Montour, Seattle also lost Ryan Lindgren early in the game last night after taking a puck to the face. Hopefully, he is okay as well.

Ottavainen has some big shoes to fill on the blue line, but his performance in Coachella Valley and previously with Seattle proves he is ready for this chance.