Lindgren signs 4-year, $18 million contract with Kraken

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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.

“Ryan’s a heart-and-soul player who competes every shift,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said. “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 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.

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.

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.