Montour hopes to make history (again)

Brandon is an awesome guy. Great in the locker room. If you’re out of the fight, he’ll drag you back in.

                                                                        Josh Mahura 

Last season, Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour, was a part of history. Two seasons ago, Montour's Florida Panthers lost in the Stanley Cup finals. That made it even sweeter, when Montour's Panthers rebounded last June to defeat the Edmonton Oilers and win the franchise's first ever Stanley Cup.

Signed by the Kraken as a free agent, Montour admits his thoughts have drifted to making history again - helping the Kraken bring the hallowed Stanley Cup to the Pacific Northwest for that franchise's first-ever championship.

``The Stanley Cup is meaningful. It's crazy the reaction it gets," said Montour, who like all players on a championship team got to keep the Cup for a day during the off-season. "It was special to see what it meant to the (Panther) fans and to people in the organization."

Montour thinks a similar reaction would occur in the Emerald City. ``I know Seattle is a great sports town. When you push to win the Cup, you want to win it again."

 Montour should be around town for awhile. The 30-year old defender signed a seven-year contract averaging $7.14 million a year. Montour and forward Chandler Stephenson, formerly a member of the Golden Knights. were the Kraken's big off-season free agent acquisitions.

Defensively, Montour ranks as a +40 over his 10-year career. He had his best offensive season in 2022-23 when he registered 16 goals and 57 assists. Early speculation has Montour forming a defense pair with another veteran, Jamie Oleksiak. The latter is a more defensive-minded defenseman, which could allow Montour some offensive possibilities. He could also see action on the second power-play unit.

``Montour is an offensive piece on the back end," said Kraken general manager Ron Francis after the signing. ``He played 23 minutes a game on a Cup winning team, He'll help on the power play. Now we have him and (defenseman Vince) Dunn. He can join the rush, and he'll play in all situations."

Montour's even been mentioned as a possible Kraken captain at some point as he's always been considered a `character guy' in the locker room.

``I've experienced some big, big games," said Montour. ``It's intense for some guys. They've got a tight grip on their stick; want to make the perfect pass. I try to keep it light. I'm serious when I have to be, but make sure it's fun. I'm an older guy now and somebody who can talk to younger guys.''

Montour notes that veteran players such as Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Kevin Bieksa were veteran leaders when he joined the Anaheim Ducks as a 21-year-old and he tries to follow their lead.

Montour is joined on the Kraken by his `partner in crime,' Josh Mahura. Signed as a free-agent after Montour, Mahura was the seventh defenseman on the Panthers and should fill a similar role in Seattle.

``When I played in Florida, he was next to me in the locker room," said Montour. ``I come to Seattle and he's still next to me. But I hope he stays around. We have similar personalities."

Montour admits he finds the Kraken room, ``a little quiet." Chances are Montour will make some noise off the ice and hopes to lead Seattle to some victories on the ice.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thought I had a nice picture of Montour but he was too fast for me.