Defenseman Cale Fleury is back in the Seattle Kraken system, agreeing to a one-year extension worth $750,000 on Tuesday. The contract is a two-way agreement, allowing for potential movement between the NHL and AHL levels.
Fleury, who got in nine games with the Kraken last season as an expansion draft pick from the Montreal Canadiens, played a pivotal role as well with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers as the team’s leading scorer among all defensemen.
“Cale took another step in his development last year, specifically with his offensive game while playing for Charlotte,” said Kraken general manager Ron Francis.
Fleury, 23, had 33 points and 26 assists in 58 games with the Checkers and unless he cracks the NHL roster, stands to fill a vital spot on the blueline with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the incoming AHL expansion affiliate of the Kraken.
The Carlyle, Saskatchewan native made his Kraken debut after a call-up placed him on a pairing with brother Haydn in a Feb. 1 loss at Boston, played the next evening in a win against the host New York Islanders, and returned for a final seven-game stint in April.
Fleury has suited up in 50 career NHL games with one goal between the Kraken and Canadiens, and has 67 points in 154 AHL games with Charlotte and Laval.