Lindsay, Ont., native Vince Dunn avoided arbitration and has signed a two-year, $8-million deal with the NHL expansion Seattle Kraken, the club announced Friday afternoon.
The 24-year-old defenceman was acquired in the recent expansion draft after spending four years with the St. Louis Blues, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2019. The Kraken begin play this October.
“Vince is a mobile, puck-moving defenceman that can help generate offence from our blueline,” stated Kraken general manager Ron Francis in a team release. “He’s a smooth skater that helps drive possession and plays a physical game.”
Last season, the 24-year-old Dunn had six goals and 14 assists in 43 games for the Blues, who missed the playoffs. He averaged 19-plus minutes of ice time, a career-high total.
Dunn was scheduled for arbitration on Aug. 14. He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season.
“I’m very excited for this next opportunity,” Dunn told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently. “The way they talked about the organization from top to bottom with management and ownership, it seems like they’re taking no shortcuts on anything whether it’s the practice facility or the (salary) cap.
“There’s a comfort level just to know that everyone’s all in.”
Dunn was a second-round pick (No. 56 overall) by the Blues during the 2015 NHL Draft. In his career he has played 267 games with 32 goals, 70 assists for 102 points.
Dunn, who turns 25 in October, brought the Stanley Cup home to Lindsay in the summer of 2019.
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