Kraken Announce Two Key Absences During East Coast Road Trip
The Seattle Kraken continue their tour across Eastern Canada on Saturday with a matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs at 4 PM PT (CBC, SNO, SNP, NHLN, KONG, KHN). It will mark the third installment of their six-game road trip, and they will play it short-handed.
Seattle announced it placed Freddy Gaudreau on injured reserve on Friday after he exited in the second period of the Kraken’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday with an upper-body injury. Seattle recalled John Hayden from AHL Coachella Valley to fill the roster spot in his absence.
On Saturday, the team clarified that Gaudreau is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, putting him on the shelf alongside Kaapo Kakko (hand) and Ryker Evans (upper body).
“We’ll see, hopefully he’s a fast healer,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said to reporters in Toronto about Gaudreau’s injury after reiterating the details of the press release.
Additionally, Seattle announced Brandon Montour will miss Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs. The defenseman is “taking a temporary leave of absence to attend to a family matter,” according to the Kraken’s social media update. The timeline for his absence remains unclear, but that means Cale Fleury will step into the lineup for his season debut.
An update on #SeaKraken defenseman Brandon Montour: pic.twitter.com/TkY9t0dU0z— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 18, 2025
Fleury already spent the tail-end of training camp practicing on the second pair alongside Ryan Lindgren while Montour recovered from an ankle procedure, and also took reps on both special teams units. The 26-year-old defenseman is expected to slot into Montour’s spot on the second pair.
“Different player, but definitely I’ve liked his game,” Lambert told reporters in Toronto on Saturday. “I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him in exhibition, and we just want him to play his game. The defending side of it, he’s gotta be solid on that. And he can contribute offensively as well.”
Based on reports from Saturday’s morning skate, forward Jared McCann did not participate, but Lambert chalked it up to maintenance purposes. Additionally, Joey Daccord is expected to return to the crease after taking a night off on Thursday, when Philipp Grubauer made his season debut in the loss to Ottawa.
After gaining a point in each of the past two games, the Kraken will look to maintain their season-opening point streak and get back into the win column against a Maple Leafs squad coming off a 2-1 overtime win against the New York Rangers on Thursday.
“We’re going to be in tight games all year,” Kraken forward Matty Beniers told reporters in Toronto on Saturday. “The way we play, we’re not going to get in track meets with people. We’re going to grind teams down, and they’re going to be tight matches. Every single one of them has been so far, and I don’t see anything changing.”
