Stephenson won the Cup in 2018 with the Washington Capitals and in 2023 with the Vegas Golden Knights. Last season, he scored 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 75 games for Vegas.

Montour reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Florida Panthers in 2022-23 and won it with them last season. He led the Panthers in average ice time the last two seasons (24:08 in 2022-23, 23:27 in 2023-24).

“Exciting,” Bylsma said. “Really exciting. Quality players and quality individuals. Montour has developed over a long period of time in the National Hockey League into a great player and now a Stanley Cup winner. Chandler is also a Stanley Cup winner and he brings pace and excitement to the middle of the ice.”

Montour said he was drawn to Seattle’s passionate fan base and reflected on how much it meant to Florida that the Panthers won the Cup for the first time in their 30 seasons.

“To do it again, with a new organization, that is the goal,” Montour said.

The Kraken introduced the rest of their coaching staff on July 3. Assistant Dave Lowry and goaltending coach Steve Briere will return, along with assistants Bob Woods, who worked with Bylsma in Buffalo, and Jessica Campbell, who worked with Bylsma in the Coachella Valley.

Campbell will be the first woman to serve as a full-time assistant behind an NHL bench when the Kraken open the season against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8 at Climate Pledge Arena.

“Of course I’m proud to be in this position and to be the first,” she said. “But I never really focus on that. It’s always about the work. It’s about the impact. It’s about the job.”

Bylsma and his team have developed players in the Coachella Valley who could make an impact in Seattle, including defenseman Ryker Evans and forwards Tye Kartye, Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton.

They know other players from previous training camps and want to develop each individual and the team as a whole.

“We want to be on the front lines with them,” Campbell said. “We had success at Coachella by focusing on the work, and I’m a big advocate of communication and compassion for the players, especially when things get tough.”

“And that’s why I’m excited to see what we can achieve if we just put one player at a time into the starting lineup.”