The Kraken are signing free agent center Chandler Stephenson to a seven-year contract, PuckPedia reports. The deal carries a cap hit of around $6.25M, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This deal moves Stephenson on from the Vegas Golden Knights, where he stamped his mark as a true top-six center in the NHL. Stephenson joined Vegas via trade in 2019, with the Golden Knights sending a 2021 fifth-round pick back to the Washington Capitals.
Stephenson quickly took off with Vegas, netting 22 points in 41 games following the trade and adding five points in 20 playoff games that year while serving as the team’s third-line center. The hot start earned Stephenson a jump to the second-line in 2020-21 — a promotion he vindicated by setting a then-career-high 14 goals and 35 points in 51 games.
He followed that year up with a breakout 21 goals and 64 points in 2021-22 and quickly topped it with 65 points in 2022-23.
But it was the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs that seemed to truly cement Stephenson’s prowess. He was a focal piece of Vegas’ push to their first Stanley Cup, netting 20 points, split evenly, through 22 postseason games. He held down the team’s second line, controlling the middle lane in both directions and offering a chance for his aggressive wingers to make plays.
Stephenson has responded modestly to lifting the cup, with just 16 goals and 51 points this year, amidst a decrease in minutes in the wake of Tomas Hertl’s acquisition. Still, Stephenson has shown a propensity for making a strong two-way impact and driving the net hard.
Now bumped out of his role with Vegas thanks to Hertl and William Karlsson, Stephenson will take his talents to a Kraken team rife with opportunity.
Seattle struggled to shape its lineup this season, with high-end talents like Jared McCann and Yanni Gourde pushed to fill a long list of responsibilities. Utilityman Stephenson will help carry some of that load, and could even support McCann’s move back to the wing. It was from that spot that McCann managed a career-high 40 goals and 70 points last season.
He held on to the strong scoring even in more of a center role this year, suggesting plenty of offensive upside should McCann find an ideal role. Stephenson will also be great company for youngster Matthew Beniers, who’s still building out his dynamic two-way game after scoring 20-fewer points this year than he did last year.
Seattle has had a busy start to free agency, also signing top defender Brandon Montour to a seven-year deal. He and Stephenson are certainly notable additions, though they also bring the Kraken down to just $10M in remaining cap space.
Seattle will need to use that to negotiate with its remaining restricted free agents — Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen. The pair will likely eat up most of Seattle’s remaining budget, though there could be enough room left for one more addition.