The Seattle Kraken have reshaped their leadership group, handing Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour bigger roles just as the 2026-27 season gets underway.
The Seattle Kraken are entering a new season with a slightly different voice in the locker room, as Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour have officially been added to the team’s group of alternate captains.
NHL.com’s Geoff Baker was first to report the leadership changes Wednesday morning, with Dunn and Montour joining captain Jordan Eberle and returning alternates Matty Beniers and Adam Larsson. The announcement comes one day before Seattle begins its first official on-ice workout of training camp.
The changes also help fill the leadership void created by Jaden Schwartz’s departure to the Colorado Avalanche this summer, while Yanni Gourde’s alternate captaincy has remained vacant since he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in March 2025.
For Dunn, the appointment represents another step in what has been a gradual evolution since Seattle selected him from the St. Louis Blues in the 2021 Expansion Draft. Now 29, Dunn has grown from an offensive-minded defenseman into one of the most established voices on the Kraken blue line.
His 64-point breakout during the 2022-23 season helped propel Seattle into the playoffs, and he has remained a fixture alongside Larsson on the team’s top defensive pairing. Dunn is also one of only a handful of players still with Seattle from its inaugural season.
Montour brings a different kind of experience. The 32-year-old arrived in Seattle after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers and has quickly established himself as both a reliable two-way defenseman and a prominent personality around the team.
Eberle, meanwhile, begins his third season wearing the captain’s “C” after leading Seattle with 26 goals and 54 points last season. Larsson enters his sixth season with the Kraken and recently reached 1,000 NHL games, while Beniers remains one of the organization’s longest-tenured young leaders.
With Dunn and Montour now wearing letters, Seattle’s leadership group has a blend of experience, championship pedigree and players who have grown alongside the franchise.
