Montour bringing 'a lot of mojo, a lot of jam' to Kraken

SEATTLE -- Brandon Montour had his share of offers during the offseason.

The defenseman helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup for the first time June 24 and became an unrestricted free agent a week later. His services were in high demand from a few NHL teams, but there was something about the Seattle Kraken that stood out.

"I thought it'd be a fun environment and in talking to Ron (Francis, Kraken general manager) a couple of times, I really felt the love," Montour said earlier this month. "Not that I didn't feel it in Florida, but I just needed something where I felt at home right away and this felt like a place where we could do that."

Montour has been a great addition for the Kraken (4-2-0), who play the Colorado Avalanche (2-4-0) at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN) as part of the NHL Frozen Frenzy featuring all 32 teams in action.

The 30-year-old signed a seven-year, $50 million contract ($7.14 million average annual value) with Seattle on July 1. Brought in to bolster the defense and power play, Montour has four points (one goal, three assists) in six games and leads the Kraken with 23:49 of ice time per game.

"You just keep getting better as repetitions come and as more games go," Montour said after scoring in a 6-4 win against the Philadelphia Flyers in Seattle on Oct. 17. "Guys are aware of how I play. I'm aware of how the team rolls and what kind of makes us good. As I said, as we keep going here, it's still early, but we just keep getting better there."

A second-round pick (No. 55) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2014 NHL Draft, Montour has 256 points (67 goals, 189 assists) in 526 games for the Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Panthers and Kraken. He had 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 66 regular-season games last season and 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"I think he's a dynamic defender, a dynamic offensive player," Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. "He's got a lot of mojo, a lot of jam that he brings to the game. That's something we'd like to see more and more of from our team, all those things."

Montour is the right-handed shot on the second defense pair with Jamie Oleksiak on the left. The two have been together since the preseason and have developed a good chemistry.

"He covers a lot of ice, great stick, very gifted offensively but I like how aggressive he is," Oleksiak said. "I mean, his resume kind of speaks for itself, all the success he's had. Whenever you have a guy that has had (Stanley Cup) Playoff success and have him around the room and see him on the day to day, I think that's an advantage."

With Montour joining Adam Larsson, Oleksiak, Vince Dunn, Ryker Evans and Will Borgen, Bylsma said the group is "arguably a top six defensive core in the NHL."

Dunn agrees.

"It's probably the second time I've been on a D core this deep. (The other) was when I was in St. Louis when we won there," Dunn said.

Dunn won the Stanley Cup with the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues on a defense that included Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko, Jay Bouwmeester, Joel Edmundson and Robert Bortuzzo. He skated with Larsson on Seattle's top pair before sustaining a mid-body injury in the win against the Flyers.

"Reminds me of it a lot, with very good offensive threats with the two (defensive) pairs with me and 'Monty,' kind of like how me and Alex were in St. Louis," Dunn said. "Both a left and a righty shot, too, as well. Brings back good memories.

"The balance of our D core, the way we play as individuals, we complement each other really well when we're on the ice and all of us are really comfortable playing with each other, whoever we're out there with."

Montour is settled in Seattle. He loves his new home in his new neighborhood and his new teammates. Saying goodbye to Florida wasn't easy but with the Stanley Cup to his name, he's ready to find more success with the Kraken.

"It (stunk) leaving," he said, "just because the last couple of years that we had, your relationships just grow with runs and experiences, but it was much easier to leave after winning, you know? So doing that, ending on top with that group, made it a lot easier."

"These guys were a team on our list from Day 1 and showed a lot of interest and made me feel like I was the guy they needed and wanted and that was a big part of kind of everything. I'm happy to be here now."