Brandon Montour is temporarily leaving the Seattle Kraken to attend to a family matter
The Seattle Kraken announced on Saturday that defenseman Brandon Montour is taking a leave of absence to attend to a family matter.
Seattle made the announcement on social media, saying, “Defenseman Brandon Montour will be taking a temporary leave of absence to attend to a family matter.”
“No further details will be shared at this time, and the team requests that his family’s privacy be respected during this period.”
Montour is a key piece on the back end for the Kraken. So far this season, he’s played in all four games for Seattle and has put up four assists in that span. He’s also averaging 22:48 of ice time and a plus-three plus-minus rating.
The 31-year-old D-man isn’t far removed from his career high of 73 points in 80 games with the Florida Panthers in 2022-23. In addition, he won a Stanley Cup with the Panthers the following season.
In terms of team success with Seattle, this has been the Kraken’s best start to a season in their existence. Seattle has registered six points in their opening four outings with a 2-0-2 record. They are second in the Pacific Division and are one of four teams not to have a loss in regulation.
The team is in the midst of an Eastern Conference road trip as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night. After that, Seattle will visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, potentially without their elite D-man in Montour.
Defenseman Cale Fleury will be filling in for Montour against the Maple Leafs. This will be Cale Fleury’s season debut for the Kraken.
Last season, the 26-year-old blueliner played 14 regular-season games, recording one assist and averaging 12:52 of ice time. Fleury has played 77 NHL games over parts of five seasons in his career.
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