The Seattle Kraken are engaged on a deal to maintain defenseman Adam Larsson within the Pacific Northwest for the subsequent 4 years, per reports from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman included in a follow-up report that Larsson’s wage can be $5.25M every season making it a four-year, $21M extension.
The fourth general choose of the 2011 NHL Draft initially got here to the Kraken group through the 2021 Growth Draft from the Edmonton Oilers. Seattle rapidly signed Larsson to a four-year, $16M contract and he has been with the group ever since.
Larsson has excelled throughout his time with the Kraken as he’s garnered extra accountability in his profession than at any level with the Oilers or New Jersey Devils. He’s solely missed one common season sport (which got here this previous season) and has averaged 22:57 of ice time in 245 video games with the younger franchise. His consistency and availability alone would have earned him an extension in Seattle however Larsson has additionally chipped in adequately offensively with 20 objectives and 76 factors general.
He led the staff in blocked photographs and hits through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons whereas dropping to second and fourth this previous 12 months, respectively. The one main downside to Larsson’s sport is his possession high quality which largely falls beneath a 50 p.c CorsiFor proportion. A lot of that may be attributed to the truth that he’s averaged a 55.4 p.c Defensive Zone Begin proportion in All Conditions throughout his time with Seattle.
The $5.25M wage over the subsequent 4 years is only a notch beneath Evolving-Hockey’s prediction of a $5.5M wage on a four-year pact. The deal will maintain Larsson in place till the 2028-29 common season and maintain Seattle’s defensive core largely intact earlier than Vince Dunn’s present contract ends after the 2027-28 marketing campaign. There received’t be any issues on the suitable facet of their protection for fairly a while with the staff including Brandon Montour on a seven-year deal earlier within the offseason.
Not solely have the Kraken ironed out their blue line for the subsequent three to 5 years, however the staff has additionally taken a serious potential commerce chip off the marketplace for subsequent 12 months’s commerce deadline. Larsson would have been a super candidate to market at subsequent 12 months’s commerce season if Seattle discovered itself outdoors of competition.
