Exhale, Kraken Fans: Vince Dunn Is Signed

RFA Seattle Defenseman Locked Up For Four Years, $7.35 Million AAV

The final Seattle Kraken offseason loose end has been tied: the team has signed restricted free agent defenseman Vince Dunn to a four year, $7.35 average annual value contract.

The deal buys three of what would otherwise have been unrestricted free agent years for Dunn. Here's the financial numbers, via puckpedia.com:

Although Dunn has played 421 NHL games and won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, his payday was largely built on a personal-best season with the Kraken in 2022-23. His finished second among NHL defensemen in even-strength points, and tied for second in even-strength goals.

Here's a full rundown of his on-ice numbers and metrics, again via puckpedia.com.

Coming at a slow period in the hockey summer, fans both in Seattle and around the NHL were quick to latch onto the contract news like sharks to chum. Was the dollar value too high? Was the term too-short? Is Dunn a one-season wonder?

Dunn contract dollar amount: Timing is everything. How much Dunn's breakout season is worth was partly determined by the fact he was slated to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.

Seeing how Dunn and Adam Larsson formed a well-respected top-pairing defense partnership, Kraken general manager Ron Francis wasn't about to play hardball. Further, Francis had smartly budgeted to fit Dunn's new deal under the cap.

Dunn length of contract: Evolving Hockey had predicted either a four-year or eight-year deal.

The four-year contract protects both sides. If Dunn can't duplicate his 2022-23 performance, the Kraken aren't on the hook for many potentially unproductive years. If the defenseman does continue his upward progression, he will be poised for an even bigger payday under a presumably higher salary cap.

"I'm happy with where I am right now and I want to be a part of this organization for many years to come," Dunn told NHL.com.  

"Ever since I stepped foot in here. It's been a new chapter in my career. They've let me develop not just as a person but as a player. And I'm really fortunate for all the opportunities that I've been given. 

"It was a big, big jump for me to do what I did this year. I got a lot of opportunity and tried to make the most of it. I know it's only up from here and the demand is just going to keep growing on me so I'm ready for that. I'm really excited for what's ahead."

Does one breakout season justify this contract? Vince Dunn didn't just arrive out of nowhere.

While with St. Louis, Blues broadcaster Darren Pang called Dunn, "A young kid with great instincts, a real bonus on the blueline." Bally Sports Midwest called Dunn, "At times an electric offensive presence... played steady defense for his first three seasons in St. Louis, posting a plus-30 rating over that span."

It was the Kraken's good fortune that Dunn in 2021 was coming off his most inconsistent season. In fact, prior to Seattle's expansion draft, The Athletic reported the Vancouver Canucks could have acquired Dunn for no more than a third-round pick.

Dunn was on a two-year, $8 million deal with the Kraken, which can be seen now as a bargain. But the six-foot, 200 pound rearguard wasn't exactly a borderline NHL'er before his blossoming, and his rich new contract.