Seattle Kraken sign 9-year vet Bellemare, bring back Borgen
Jul 7, 2023, 4:10 PM | Updated: 4:14 pm
Tampa Bay's Pierre-Édouard Bellemare attempts a shot against the Seattle Kraken in 2023. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Kraken offseason rolled on Friday with two more moves.
Will Kraken offseason moves change system that led them to playoffs?
First, the Kraken announced an addition: veteran forward Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, who spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Shortly after, Seattle revealed it had agreed to a two-year contract with returning defenseman Will Borgen.
Bellemare, 38, comes to Seattle on a one-year deal for $775,000. He scored 13 points on four goals and nine assists in 73 games last season with Tampa Bay.
“Pierre-Édouard is a hard-working, defensive-minded forward,” Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis said in a press release. “He is effective in the faceoff dot and brings valuable veteran experience. We’re happy to welcome him to Seattle.”
In the press release, the Kraken highlighted the 5-foot-11, 198-pound Bellemar’s ability on the penalty kill as he led Lightning forwards with 166:37 total shorthanded ice time in 2022-23. A native of France, the eight-year NHL veteran reached the Stanley Cup Final in both 2018 with the Vegas Golden Knights and 2022 with the Lightning.
He was nominated as the Lightning’s candidate for the 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan profiled Bellemare’s “improbable journey” to the NHL in April, which you can watch in the tweet below:
From ESPN’s The Point… The Pierre-Édouard Bellemare story.
Not an exaggeration, one of the most improbable journeys in the 100-plus year history of the NHL. pic.twitter.com/LITIW8BHUS
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) April 20, 2023
Borgen, 26, will earn an average annual value of $2.7 million on his multi-year deal after scoring 20 points on three goals and 17 assists with 203 hits and 89 blocked shots over a full 82 games last season, all career-high marks.
Originally drafted in 2015 by Buffalo, the 6-3, 204-pound Minnesota native joined the Kraken in their 2021 NHL Expansion Draft after appearing in 14 games over two seasons with the Sabres.
The #SeaKraken have agreed to terms with defenseman Will Borgen on a two-year contract. pic.twitter.com/1cqlVhVwC6
— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) July 7, 2023
More on the Seattle Kraken offseason
• Kraken sign Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane native and ex-Oiler
• Kraken sign veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin to two-year deal
• Seattle Kraken take Czech winger Eduard Sale 20th overall
• Morosi: Why Sale is ‘a really good first pick’ for Seattle Kraken
• 2023 NHL Draft Recap: Every pick the Seattle Kraken made
