Kraken place McCann on IR, Montour returns from leave of absence

The Seattle Kraken announced on Saturday that the team has placed forward Jared McCann on injured reserve, while defenseman Brandon Montour has returned to the team after taking a brief leave of absence.

McCann has not appeared in a game since last Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win over Toronto while dealing with a lower-body injury.

The 29-year-old veteran had found the back of the net in each of Seattle’s first three games, and through five, he had racked up three goals and an assist while averaging 17:17 of time on ice.

Seattle is dealing with numerous injuries right now, as winger Kaapo Kakko is out with a wrist injury and center Frederick Gaudreau has been sidelined as well.

The Kraken are off to a strong 4-2-2 start and have a chance to build upon their early-season success on Saturday night when they host an Edmonton team that has yet to build up to full momentum.

Seattle earned a shutout victory behind goaltender Joey Daccord in a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, as Jaden Schwartz scored the game-winning goal in the second period before he and Jordan Eberle added empty-netters late in the third.

Daccord out dueled reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck to pick up the two points, and now the team is set to get a key piece of its defensive unit back in the mix in Montour.

Montour was away from the team to deal with a personal matter. The 31-year-old Ontario native has played at a high level this year when he’s been on the ice, as he’s racked up four assists in four games played while skating to a plus-3 rating.

The Kraken’s showdown with the Oilers will kick off a five-game homestead in which the team will look to bank more points against Montreal, the New York Rangers, Chicago and San Jose.