Andre Burakovsky says his former Capitals teammate Chandler Stephenson is a great fit for the Kraken.

Andre Burakovsky and Chandler Stephenson spent five seasons together with the Washington Capitals from 2015 to 2020, assisting the team in winning the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018. Stephenson, who was signed by the Kraken in July for a seven-year contract ($6.25 million AAV), made his training camp debut on Thursday and was reunited with Burakovsky, who was assigned to his group. 

Speaking to the media after Friday morning's drill, Burakovsky expressed his excitement about working with Stephenson on the same team again. “We had 5 good years in Washington together so it's good to have him here. He's a very smart player and our game fits each other too."

Burakovsky spent most of his summer working on rehabilitating and strengthening his lower body every day at home with his personal trainer. He states that mental toughness and perseverance are necessities a player must have to recover from an injury. The Burakovsky, Stephenson, and Schwartz line skated against Oleksiak, Price, and Montour during Thursday morning's scrimmage. While Burakovsky was impressed with his linemates agility and style, he said the team needs to improve its attack and speed up the ice.

[gallery ids="1010,1011,1012,1013,1014"]

Training camp continues this weekend with full practice and scrimmages on Saturday and a morning skate on Sunday. The team's first pre-season game is scheduled for Sunday night at home at Climate Pledge Arena vs the Calgary Flames. Puck drop is at 7PM.

Make sure you bookmark THN’s Seattle Kraken site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

Related