Jordan Eberle Signs Two-Year Extension With Kraken

Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) looks for the puck in front of Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

SEATTLE, Wash. - The captain is staying aboard.

Just a couple of hours before the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday, the Seattle Kraken agreed to re-sign Jordan Eberle to a two-year, $11 million extension ($5.5 million AAV), locking him up through the 2027-28 season.

With his previous status as a pending free agent, Eberle’s future in Seattle beyond Friday’s deadline remained up in the air, but the team’s position in a playoff spot made it less likely he would be moved.

Now, he’s locked in for the next two years.

“Since the (Olympic) break here, (we) tried to figure out something,” Eberle said. “For the most part, it’s always been I wanted to stay here. I think I’ve expressed that. My family, myself, we love the city of Seattle, the ownership group, everything. The commitment they have to winning, I’ve just been on board.”

The 35-year-old Eberle leads the team with 22 goals and 42 points in 59 games this season. With the Kraken clinging to the final wild card spot in the West – one point behind Edmonton in the Pacific Division, and three points ahead of San Jose on the wild card cut line – the recommitment to the team’s captain and top-scorer affirms what everyone expected about Seattle’s intentions for this season.

“This season has definitely been a bit of a roller coaster,” Eberle said. “Seems like obviously we got off to a great start, and then we had that stretch (in December) and put ourselves back a little bit, and then we’ve played really – for the most part – good hockey since the middle of December. …

“I was confident in the way that this group could play when we’re on, and we can make some damage here.”

The Kraken’s remaining UFAs — Eeli Tolvanen, Jaden Schwartz and Jamie Oleksiak — are likely to stay put at least through the end of the season, unless Seattle can find a move that would improve the team’s contention status before Friday’s deadline.

This is a developing story and will be updated.