Ryan Lindgren signed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $4.5 million.
The 27-year-old defenseman, who had become an unrestricted free agent, had 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 72 games for the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche last season, including three points (two goals, one assist) in 18 games after he was acquired by Colorado in a trade March 1.
He had three assists in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Lindgren said he is embracing the move to his third NHL team.
"I spent the last six years in one spot," he said Wednesday, "and then, you wake up one morning, go to the rink, and find out you're moving to another team. And I think a lot of emotions go through that. Obviously, at first, you're very sad to leave that team, but you go to another team and realize ... just meeting everyone, and when you start playing games, it's a blast. It was a lot of fun to do that in Colorado and have a good team.
"Now finding out that I get to go to Seattle and kind of start that journey all over again, where you meet a bunch of great new people and kind of start fresh. So yeah, I'm just really, really looking forward to it."
Selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round (No. 49) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Lindgren has 102 points (14 goals, 88 assists) in 405 regular-season games for the Rangers and Avalanche and 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 50 playoff games.
Lindgren said he's looking forward to see where he meshes in best in Seattle.
"It's really, really exciting to have that new opportunity," he said. "I played with "Foxy" (Rangers defenseman Adam Fox) for the majority of my NHL career, and that was a lot of fun, but now it's time to move on and play with someone new. I think it starts right in training camp. Everyone kind of seems like they play with everyone throughout camp, and you just try to build chemistry.
"That's my biggest role, is being that defensive defenseman, that penalty kill kind of guy, and just try to do my best job with that and chipping in offensively when I can. ... So many great defensemen on that team, so many guys I'm going to be able to learn from and hopefully help out as well."
Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said he believes Lindgren will be a good fit.
“Ryan’s a heart-and-soul player who competes every shift,” Botterill said Tuesday. “He does whatever it takes to win and has been a key fixture on the penalty kill throughout his career. We’re excited to welcome him to the team.”
The Kraken also signed Matt Murray to a one-year, $1 million contract on Friday.
The 31-year-old goalie has a 266-147-87 record with a 2.80 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and 15 shutouts in 274 regular-season games (266 starts) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, and is 29-21 with a 2.19 GAA, .920 save percentage and six shutouts in 52 playoff games (50 starts). He won the Stanley Cup twice with Pittsburgh, in 2016 and 2017, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy, voted as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in 2016, when he was 15-6 with a 2.08 GAA, .923 save percentage and one shutout in 21 starts.
Murray was limited to 26 games in 2022-23 and missed the entire 2023-24 season because of bilateral hip surgery. He was 1-1-0 with a 3.54 GAA and .879 save percentage in two starts with the Maple Leafs last season and played 13:37 in relief of starter Joseph Woll in a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. Murray played most of last season with Toronto of the American Hockey League, with a 10-5-7 record, 1.72 GAA, .934 save percentage and three shutouts in 21 games.
NHL.com independent correspondent Darren Brown contributed to this report
