The Seattle Kraken are heading into the new season with a reshaped leadership group, and the latest move puts two veteran defensemen in the mix.
Brandon Montour and Vince Dunn have been named alternate captains, joining Adam Larsson and Matty Beniers. Jordan Eberle will continue as team captain for a third season.
Seattle had been operating with three alternates since Yanni Gourde was traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline in 2024. That opened the door for another spot, and a second one was created when Jaden Schwartz left in free agency this summer for the Colorado Avalanche.
Now the Kraken’s informal leadership group consists of Eberle, Larsson, Beniers, Montour and Dunn. Together, they bring 3,771 games of NHL experience, a notable amount for a team planning to bring more youth into the lineup this season.
Montour and Dunn also arrive with championship credentials. Montour won a Stanley Cup with Florida in 2024, while Dunn captured one with St. Louis in 2019.
Montour’s addition fits for more than one reason. He’s known as a positive voice in the room, serves as the team’s unofficial “music director,” and is under contract for five more years on the seven-year, $50 million deal he signed in 2024.
Dunn’s situation is a little different. He’s in the final season of his four-year, $29.4 million contract, which leaves the Kraken with a few possible paths: extend him before he reaches free agency next July 1, treat the “A” as a one-year role, or use the alternate captaincy as a way to help persuade him to stay beyond the 2026-27 season.
Schwartz, meanwhile, has landed in Colorado and said, “Colorado was very high on my list.”
The 34-year-old forward brings 15 years of NHL experience to Denver, including 10 seasons in St. Louis, where he won a Stanley Cup, and the last five in Seattle. He signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract with the Avalanche.
“There’s so many good players, good organization, very good guys,” Schwartz said. “When they reached out, I was pretty excited. The Avs are definitely in a win-now mode, which is awesome to be a part of.”
Schwartz also has history in Colorado Springs, where he spent two years from 2010-12 playing for Colorado College after being drafted 14th overall by the Blues.
His time in Seattle, though, was repeatedly interrupted by injuries. Since signing with the Kraken in 2021, he dealt with hand surgery in Jan., 2022 that cost him 25 games, an upper body injury in Mar., 2022 that cost him 18 games, an undisclosed injury in Feb., 2023 that cost him 8 games, another upper body injury in Jan., 2024 that cost him 16 games, a lower body injury in Nov., 2025 that cost him 19 games and a facial injury in Mar., 2026 that cost him 10 games.
That’s not the full list, but it paints the picture.
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