Kraken ink star defenseman Vince Dunn to 4-year extension
Jul 21, 2023, 5:55 PM | Updated: 5:55 pm
Vince Dunn celebrates his goal with Adam Larsson of the Seattle Kraken on April 6, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Kraken took care of a big piece of their offseason on Friday, inking star defenseman Vince Dunn to a four-year deal worth $7.35 million annually.
The contract makes Dunn the NHL’s 25th-highest-paid defenseman and Seattle’s highest-paid player.
Dunn, 26, came to the Kraken ahead of their inaugural 2021-22 campaign as their expansion draft pick from the St. Louis Blues, where he’d won a Stanley Cup back in the 2018-19 season.
Dunn played 71 games for the Kraken that year, recording seven goals and 28 assists with a -21 plus/minus ratio (meaning opponents scored 21 more goals than the Kraken when Dunn was on the ice).
This past season, though, Dunn was arguably the Kraken’s team MVP in his sixth NHL campaign and was a key reason why Seattle jumped from 60 points in 2021-22 to 100 points in 2022-23 and the franchise’s first playoff berth.
Paired alongside Adam Larsson on Seattle’s top defensive pairing, Dunn shined in a career-high 81 games, recording 64 points (14 goals and 50 assists) and a +28 plus/minus number. Dunn was 10th in points by an NHL defenseman last year and 12th in plus/minus. Dunn was second on the Kraken in scoring, trailing only Jared McCann’s 70 points, and he led Seattle in assists.
Dunn also scored seven points (one goal and six assists) during Seattle’s 14 playoff games. Dunn and Larsson were often on the ice against the Colorado Avalanche’s top offensive pairings in Round 1, and the same was the case in Round 2 against the Dallas Stars.
Dunn entered this offseason as a restricted free agent that the Kraken tendered. With him agreeing to a new contract extension beyond the upcoming season, that means he and the organization avoid having to go through the arbitration hearing process.
More Seattle Kraken offseason news
• Kraken extend coach Dave Hakstol through 2025-26 season
• Kraken sign 9-year vet Bellemare, bring back Borgen
• Kraken sign Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane native and ex-Oiler
• Kraken sign veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin to 2-year deal
• 2023 NHL Draft Recap: Every pick the Seattle Kraken made
• Matty Beniers of Kraken wins NHL’s rookie of the year award
• Kraken sign GM Ron Francis to 3-year extension
