The Seattle Kraken are reportedly signing veteran right-shot defenseman Adam Larsson to a four-year contract extension worth an average annual salary cap hit of $5.25 million. The deal was first officially reported by Frank Seravalli, though Larsson’s defense partner, Vince Dunn, seemed to have the real scoop.
Larsson, 31, is entering the last season of his current contract, so this new deal will kick in starting in 2025-26 and will keep the “Big Cat” in deep sea blue through the 2028-29 campaign.
A native of Skellefteå, Sweden, Larsson has played 13 seasons in the NHL and has been a rock on the blue line for Seattle since Day 1 of the franchise. In fact, he has appeared in every Kraken game except one this past season when his daughter was born.
He isn’t known for his scoring, but he has contributed 76 points (20-56=76) during his time with Seattle. He has also led the team with 22:57 average time on ice per game over that period and proudly dons the deepest undershirt “V” in franchise history.
Skating on the top pair, Larsson’s reliable stay-at-home style has allowed Dunn to flourish as an offensive threat. One has to wonder how much of an impact Larsson has had on Dunn’s progression as a player.
Why the extension makes sense
I personally like this term for Larsson and think it should age well based on his style of play. As we have mentioned a few times on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, we had a hunch he wanted to stay in Seattle beyond this season. He was one of the players who chose to be here before the Expansion Draft, signing as a free agent before the Kraken selected him from the Edmonton Oilers. And, since then, every indication from him has been that he’s genuinely enjoyed his time here.
Giving a player entering the later stages of his career a four-year deal always carries some risk, but Larsson has been remarkably durable since arriving in the Pacific Northwest. A player like Larsson doesn’t rely as heavily on speed as others, so even if he loses a step over the next few years, he should still be an effective defender and can simply move down to a lower defensive pair.
As for the salary, his current deal pays him $4 million per year. It’s a significant raise to $5.25 million, but a deserved one that kicks in when the salary cap is expected to rise. One thing that concerns me slightly is that the Kraken are starting to commit a lot to players in their 30’s, with Brandon Montour, Chandler Stephenson, and now Larsson combining for more than $19 million during the course of Larsson’s contract. But that’s a concern for another day.
The captaincy plot thickens
I recently made my case for naming Jordan Eberle as captain of the Kraken, seeing him as a bridge captain until Matty Beniers or Shane Wright is ready to take the reins. But Sound Of Hockey’s own John Barr has been gently beating the drum for Larsson to get the “C” this summer, accurately predicting this extension several weeks ago. I recall him stating that he expected the Kraken to sign Larsson to a new deal, followed by naming him captain.
Well, the first step in John’s prophecy is now done, and I suddenly feel less confident in my prediction that Eberle will become the next captain.
Will it be the Big Cat after all?
Regardless, in honor of the extension, let’s enjoy this incredible Big Cat hype video from last season.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Concerned a bit now about what this means for Borgen’s future as a Kraken. I don’t really see him wanting to stay as a 3rd pairing RHD long term at this point in his career.
Exactly what I was wondering.
On the flip side, would you want to see Borgen on one of your top 2 pairs? It’s nothing against him, he’s been a solid player for us and shown steady improvement. But I don’t think I’ve seen enough from him to confidently say I’d feel good about him playing opposite of Vince Dunn on a team that’s trying to contend. I think the Montour signing was the writing on the wall that Borgen is either 3rd pair here, or chasing the 2nd line somewhere else in the future
I think the Kraken philosophy is now clear. Draft F talent and sign D talent. I guess that explains why they passed on Buium.
Would expect to see Gourde, Tanev, and Borgen all traded by TDL, with corresponding promotions for Winterton, Morrison, and Ottavainen. Especially if they are not playoff bound.
The next question is how long do they hold on to the players made of crystal, Schwartz and Burakovsky?
Looking forward to the camp performances of Catton, Rehkopf, Firkus, and Goyette.
Your comment makes no sense. Catton was VERY highly rated and plays a premium position. Our talent pool is among the top half of the league despite just a few years of building it up. Your take on their drafting is just flat out wrong as of today. Come back in a couple years, maybe it will age well?
Can’t wait for training camps… just saying.
I’m happy to see Larsson is sticking around for a few more years. That’s partially for sentimental reasons, but also because he’s a key part of the defense and someone the Kraken would have had a hard time replacing.
I also like that we get to continue to enjoy the Dunn-Larsson pairing. For as much as Larsson has helped Dunn, in my mind Dunn has had a sizable impact on Larsson’s game as well. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the best seasons of Larsson’s career have been his last three years in Seattle, with Dunn as his partner. Those two genuinely elevate each other to create a defensive pairing that’s greater than the sum of its parts, and I’m excited to to see them in action together with the Kraken for years to come.