On Monday, Dec. 22, the Seattle Kraken announced defenseman Brandon Montour was placed on injured reserve (IR). He was listed as day-to-day recently, but now, with the official announcement from the Kraken, fans learned that he has undergone successful hand surgery and will be out for approximately the next four weeks.
Montour was injured in the game on Dec. 16 against the Colorado Avalanche, exiting the game early after a fight and not returning. Montour has played 27 games this season and has recorded 16 points (six goals and 10 assists).
Montour joins a long list of currently-injured Kraken players. Forwards Jared McCann, Berkly Catton, Jaden Schwartz, and goaltender Matt Murray have all been dealing with long-term injuries. With the way the Kraken have been performing these last few games, they really can’t afford to lose anyone else, as they finally just broke another four-game losing streak against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. With tough opponents in the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings the next two days, the Kraken will have to dig deep to continue their winning momentum.
The NHL is currently under a roster freeze until Dec. 28 due to the upcoming holiday break. Seattle cannot call up any players at the moment, but they already have defenseman Josh Mahura with them. He has been a healthy scratch for most games, but since Montour went down, he has been playing on the third pairing alongside Ryker Evans. This is a hard blow for the Kraken and Montour, but this gives Mahura a chance to prove himself. He has two points in 18 games.
The Kraken will take on the Ducks later this evening at 7 p.m. PT.
