SEATTLE — Brandon Montour is just cracking the surface of his Kraken career, but the defenseman has been in the league for seven years.
With Seattle being his fourth city, with previous stops in Florida, Buffalo and Anaheim, he and his family is used to being new in town.
“My family enjoys where we’re at. We're settling in finally now. Making our house feel more like home,” said Montour.
Even as he gets settled, Montour said his plan is to be here for a long time. "This is home and this is a community we're going to grow."
His last stop was a big one, winning the first Stanley Cup in Florida Panthers history in 2023. He scored eight goals during the teams playoff run, leading all defensemen.
That performance was part of the reason Montour was able to sign a seven-year, $50 million contract during the offseason with the Kraken.
The win also made him the second player of Indigenous descent to capture a Stanley Cup in as many years, and he got to make a special trip home with the trophy.
Montour is from Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. While many players Montour talked to chose to spend one-on-one time with the cup, he shared it with his community.
The amount of people that came, the amount of people who saw the cup for the first time in person - it does crazy things," he said.
The trophy itself is big, but its impact on Montour and his community went beyond size.
"It was a huge and really cool moment for me and my family there," Montour.
He said he often spends times connecting with kids on different reservations during the summery. And while Montour is new to Seattle and to the West, he still sees an opportunity to be an example for Indigenous populations in the area.
"Having the ties to the Kraken and being at the highest level, it shows kids no matter where you come from, no matter what you have, if you believe and work towards it, you can make it a real thing,” said Montour.
So far in 2024, Montour has one goal, four assists and leads Seattle for time on ice at 24:34.