Kraken’s Brandon Montour activated from IR

The Seattle Kraken are getting an integral part of their defensive unit back.

The team activated Brandon Montour from injured reserve, a positive sign that he is ready to suit up for Thursday night’s game against the Boston Bruins.

Montour, one of the team’s top defensemen along with Vince Dunn, has not appeared since December 16. He also missed a run of games in October with an injury. When he’s been on the ice this season, he’s produced well, putting up 16 points in 27 games while skating to a minus-4 rating.

In his second season with the Kraken after headlining the team’s 2024 unrestricted free agency haul, Montour has 309 points in 628 games played. A Stanley Cup champion with the 2023-24 Florida Panthers, Montour brings offensive upside and solid mobility to the Seattle lineup.

Montour is not the only key players to miss considerable time in Seattle this season. The team has also missed its two most dangerous goalscoring threats in Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle for stretches in what have been tough blows for a team that struggles to produce offense at times.

Despite the rash of injuries and some goalscoring woes, the Kraken have overcome a slow start to position themselves well in the Western Conference playoff race. A recent 10-game point streak was snapped on their current road trip, but a 6-1-3 record in their last 10 has proven good enough to earn third place in the Pacific Division with a season-long mark of 21-15-9.

In their first year under new head coach Lane Lambert, Seattle is looking to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in their young franchise history.

Thursday night’s tilt in Boston marks the fourth of a five-game road swing that concludes in Salt Lake City on Saturday against the Mammoth. The Kraken will then return home on Monday to host the Pittsburgh Penguins.