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The Seattle Kraken made official what many suspected, announcing
Mark Giordano as the primary captain in franchise historical past. Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Adam Larsson and Jaden Schwartz will all function alternates this season.
Giordano, 38, was an apparent choice for the Kraken when the Calgary Flames determined to depart him unprotected within the current growth draft. Regardless of his age and costly contract, he additionally represents a real top-pairing defenseman who took dwelling the Norris Trophy as not too long ago as 2019. There was speedy hypothesis about whether or not the Kraken would flip him to a different group, including future belongings as an alternative of the veteran defenseman, however they’ve embraced him because the chief of their group as an alternative.
The query now turns into how lengthy he’ll really function captain given Giordano’s contract expires on the finish of this season. He’s nonetheless efficient and is worthy of an extension, although it’s not even clear if he’ll need to play previous this season, not to mention achieve this in Seattle. Nonetheless, the choice to call him captain suggests that there’s a good relationship between Giordano and the entrance workplace, maybe pointing to him sticking round for a short time. The Vegas Golden Knights, as an illustration, determined to not title a captain immediately, ready for a participant like Mark Stone, who was signed to a long-term deal as an alternative.
On the very least, the Kraken begin the 12 months with a robust management group that may assist market the sport in Seattle. Giordano is well-respected across the league, and the quartet of alternates have fairly a little bit of NHL expertise between them. Gourde and Schwartz are each current Stanley Cup champions and ought to be large elements of the group’s offensive unit. Larsson in the meantime signed a four-year deal to be a pillar of the group’s protection for the following a number of seasons. In truth, it’s within the alternates that there will likely be some stability. All 4 are signed for not less than the following three seasons, with Eberle expiring first in 2024.
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