*Photo from the Miami Herald*
For C Alexander Wennberg, the allure of being one of the first members of an NHL franchise was too good to pass up. The Seattle Kraken and Wennberg have agreed to a 3 year, $13.5 million deal, with a $4.5 million AAV, according to the team.
Kraken GM Ron Francis said of Wennberg that "Alexander is coming off of his best goal-scoring season to date and gives us an offensive-minded center down the middle. He's still young and we think he has room to grow even further as he has taken large strides in each of his last few seasons. We like his combination of size and skill and think he will fit well with our group."
Last season, his only year with the Florida Panthers, Wennberg had career best numbers, with 17 goals and 12 assists, with a +6 plus/minus, and an ATOI of 18:10, playing in all 56 regular season games and 6 playoff games, with the Panthers being bounced in the first round by the eventual champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Wennberg said of his breakout season that "I feel like I'm growing my game. Last year was way better, and improving my goal-scoring as well. I'm looking forward to the challenge and I feel like Seattle, they believe in me as well, and I want to prove to them that I'm worth the spot."
In his career, the former first round pick has 57 goals and 173 assists, with a +11 plus/minus, and an ATOI of 16:49, playing in 471 regular season games. Wennberg also has 5 goals and 5 assists in 28 career playoff games, across 7 seasons.
Wennberg was a first round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013, taken with the 14th overall pick. He debuted for the Blue Jackets in the 2014-2015 season, scoring 4 goals and dishing 16 assists in 68 games in his rookie season. He played with the Blue Jackets for the first 6 seasons of his career, joining the Panthers last season. But ultimately, he wanted to play for the Kraken this winter.
Asked about joining the newest NHL team, Wennberg said "Who doesn't want to be part of a new franchise and feel the atmosphere and feel the fans right now in Seattle? For me, it's really exciting times, and I'm really looking forward to it. I've never been to Seattle, so it's going to be fresh to see that, but I've only heard good things. So super excited for what's ahead."
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