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# Brandon Montour Ramps Up Return, But Still Uncertain For Kraken Season Opener
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/brandon-montour-ramps-up-return-still-uncertain-seattle-kraken-season-opener/
- Published: 2025-10-08T20:42:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:36:20.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: News, Kraken, Brandon Montour, Cale Fleury, Ryan Lindgren, Lane Lambert, Anaheim Ducks

[Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2208877846?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com)

SEATTLE, Wash. - Brandon Montour is back. Kind of.

After missing the entirety of Seattle Kraken training camp due to an ankle injury, the 31-year-old defenseman resumed skating on Tuesday and was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. 

Requests to speak to him after his first appearance on Tuesday were declined because he was not yet medically cleared, but he was made available after practice Wednesday, where he addressed the media for the first time this season.

While he’s clearly moving through the steps towards getting back, Montour was non-committal about his status for Thursday’s season-opener against the Anaheim Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena.

“It’s always not fun when you’re on the outside, especially after a longer summer of feeling good and being excited for training camp,” Montour said. “The whole situation happened, it is what it is. But we’re progressing, we’re feeling good, and we’ll see how we feel tonight and keep going.”

He added later on: “Once I feel good, I’ll be ready to go in. Again, it’ll be my first game, whenever that is, but I’ll be ready to go.”

There remains some level of ambiguity, but he followed up his own assessment of “feeling good” with the assertion that he’ll be ready to go “once I feel good.” All that’s left is seeing how he reacts to the past two days of training.

The decision will come down to the wire, with Thursday’s morning skate likely serving as the final ‘test run’ for Montour’s status, if not warmups right before the game.

“I’m encouraged by the fact he was out there for a full practice,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “Again, with him, it’s kind of, ‘How does he feel after? How does it feel tonight?’ kind of thing, and then ‘How does he feel tomorrow morning?’ So, it’s encouraging, for sure.”

Montour slotted in as the seventh defenseman during line rushes on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but he rotated in on the second pair opposite Ryan Lindgren, who is a new teammate but one that Montour expressed having familiarity with after playing against him over the past six-plus seasons.

> [#Kraken](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kraken?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) Practice Lines 10/8 (same as yesterday)  
>  
> McCann-Beniers-Eberle  
> Schwartz-Wright-Tolvanen  
> Marchment-Stephenson-Winterton  
> Kartye-Gaudreau-Nyman  
> Catton  
>  
> Dunn-Larsson  
> Lindgren-Fleury  
> Mahura-Oleksiak  
> Montour  
>  
> Daccord  
> Grubauer  
> Murray— Joe Pohoryles (@Joe\_Poho) [October 8, 2025](https://twitter.com/Joe%5FPoho/status/1975981204697714923?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com)

Fleury and Montour also split reps on the second power play unit on Tuesday. However, Montour took every rep on Wednesday – another positive sign regarding his availability for Thursday.

It would be a quick turnaround from just taking the ice on Tuesday to jumping in the opening night lineup just two days later, but Montour maintained that the only thing he missed out on following his procedure – removing a bursa on his ankle – was the skating itself.

“I was still capable of my conditioning and training and whatnot,” Montour said. “It was just about the skating aspect. But I’ve been around a good amount of years now, and I know what I bring to the group and what I bring on the ice and off the ice as a leader.”

Despite missing the entirety of training camp with his injury, Montour described this offseason as a much smoother process compared to last year, when he signed a seven-year contract worth just a hair under $50 million ($7.14 million AAV) with Seattle fresh off winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers.

With such a small window between the Cup-clinching game and deciding where to sign, coupled with a shorter offseason loaded with championship celebrations as well as an entire moving process across the country made the transition a lot more hectic.

Yes, champagne problems – quite literally – and ones that any player would not mind dealing with every offseason if it comes with a Stanley Cup. Nonetheless, Montour saw the positives in a calmer summer this year.

“This summer was obviously great because we literally just packed the kids up (and) the dogs, and we were already home,” Montour said. “So it was– that’s huge. We were already comfortable with where we’re at, and excited about, obviously, kind of coming home and cleaning up the summer place.”

Montour’s return for opening night seemed unlikely towards the end of last week, but after a quick ramp-up, he is trending towards getting out there on Thursday, barring a setback. Even if he doesn’t slot in against the Ducks, it shouldn’t be long before he returns to the fold based off the past couple days.