The Seattle Kraken have bolstered their lineup with the addition of veteran center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The team announced via Twitter that they’ve reached an agreement with the 38-year-old French center on a one-year contract worth the league-minimum $775K.
Bellemare brings 10 seasons and 660 games of NHL experience to the Kraken lineup despite not making his NHL debut until 12 seasons into his professional career, which began in France’s top league in the 2002-03 season. An undrafted free agent signing out of the SHL, Bellemare’s played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and most recently the Tampa Bay Lightning since joining the league in 2014.
He’s reached the Stanley Cup Final twice – once with Vegas in their inaugural season and in in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing a key role as a bottom-of-the-lineup shutdown forward, Bellemare registered two goals and an assist in 23 games en route to Tampa’s 2022 Final loss to Colorado.
He comes to the Kraken as a serviceable fallback option for their fourth-line center spot, especially if 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright fails to secure a spot out of training camp or gets sent back to juniors midway through the season, as he was last year.
After a rocky three seasons in Philadelphia, Bellemare’s become quite strong in the faceoff circle, holding a 53.4% win percentage since leaving the Flyers in 2017. While his defensive game did show recent significant lapses during last season with the Lightning, it’s an extremely low-risk signing and a solid veteran add for an already deep Kraken offense. It also marks a reunion with head coach Dave Hakstol, who Bellemare played under in Philadelphia from 2015 to 2017.
Last season, Bellemare recorded four goals and 13 points in 73 games. In his NHL career to date, he’s managed 60 goals and 131 points.
I can see unloading Geekie and Donato and even Jaden Schwartz but I would have kept Sprong.
Yep, i agree! Spronger has an amazing shot and hardly got ten minutes a game. He was very effective and still wouldn’t have retired a big pay raise.
“He’s reached the Stanley Cup Final twice…winning in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Lightning”
As a Lightning fan, I’m pretty sure that the Avalanche beat us in 6 & won the Cup in 2022.
Bellemare must be in excellent shape, 38 years old and still plays heavy.
Wright can still be sent back to Juniors?
This year, if he’s not in the NHL, he can only be sent back to juniors. That’s the deal between the NHL and the CHL.
Yet he was playing for Coachella in the AHL playoffs. Thus my confusion.
Yup. Per the agreement between the NHLand CHL, once Shane’s CHL team was eliminated from the playoffs and the season was over he could go pay in the AHL.
This is a rule that needs to be changed. I get maybe a year after being drafted having this type of rule, but this is stunting a prospects ability to grow as a player.