The Seattle Kraken's defense has already taken a hit early in the 2026-27 National Hockey League (NHL) season, and it looks like they've just taken another one.
Against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Brandon Montour exited the game early with a lower-body injury. He only spent 8:05 on the ice and went down in the second period. The Kraken were forced to play their second game of the season with just five defensemen on the ice.
The Kraken are down Ryan Lindgren, who is sidelined for the next four to six weeks with an upper-body injury. He exited the game against the Vegas Golden Knights and did not return to the bench afterwards.
The Kraken have yet to share the extent of Montour's injury, but it was clearly bad enough that they needed to recall a player from their American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Seattle has called up rookie defenseman, Ty Nelson. He has a chance to make an impact with the Kraken in their final game of a five-game East Coast slate against the Florida Panthers.
Nelson has only played in Coachella Valley
For the past two seasons, Nelson has spent his time down with the Firebirds. In his first season, 2024-25, he played in 72 games and recorded 32 points, via six goals and 26 assists. He picked up his points production last season, with 35 points in 63 games. Nelson played nine fewer games, yet recorded three more points.
In both seasons, he had a positive plus-minus rating, which is arguably a more important stat as a defenseman. Nelson recorded a plus-17 in 2024-25 and a plus-13 in 2025-26.
So far this season, Nelson has played in five games and has recorded four assists. His plus-minus rating is also a plus-4.
Nelson could take his rookie lap on Saturday
With Nelson getting the call up to the Kraken, there is a good chance he makes his rookie debut with the team on Saturday against the Panthers. When Nelson is on the ice for his team, he is great at generating offensive chances while also keeping the puck within his team's offensive zone. He is a strong defensive player who has the makings of a great NHL player.
Hoping for the best case scenario regarding Montour's injury status. At the same point, I'm still really excited to see how Nelson will complement the Kraken this season.
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