Kraken sign Larsson to 4-year, $21M extension

The Seattle Kraken signed defenseman Adam Larsson to a four-year contract extension with an average annual value of $5.25 million, the team announced Tuesday.

Larsson is entering the final season of a contract worth $4 million per year. The new deal begins in 2025-26 and will keep him in Seattle through his age-36 campaign.

The Swedish defenseman is an original member of the Kraken. Seattle selected him from the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021 expansion draft, even though he was a pending unrestricted free agent at the time.

Larsson has missed just one game since joining the Kraken in 2021. He notched a career-high 33 points in 2022-23 and ranked second on the Kraken in average ice time in each of the past two seasons, forming the team's top defense pair with Vince Dunn.

Though Larsson's defensive metrics were strong in 2022-23, they took a turn for the worse in 2023-24. His minus-3.9 defensive goals above replacement was the worst mark among Seattle's defensemen, per Evolving-Hockey.

But the 6-foot-3, 209-pound veteran does bring an element of grit to the back end, as he racked up 162 hits and 151 blocks in 2023-24.

Larsson is expected to retain his spot on the top pair with Dunn in 2024-25. However, Brandon Montour, a free-agent acquisition and fellow right-shooting defenseman, could eat into his overall minutes.

The New Jersey Devils drafted Larsson fourth overall in 2011. He spent five seasons in New Jersey before he was traded to the Oilers in 2016 for Taylor Hall, and he spent the next five years in Edmonton.

Larsson could've been one of the top available defensemen at the 2025 trade deadline had the Kraken not extended him and fallen out of playoff contention.