SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 28: Vince Dunn #29 of the Seattle Kraken skates into the offensive zone during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche in Game Six of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Climate Pledge Arena on Apri …
The Seattle Kraken had three restricted free agents filed for salary arbitration on Wednesday: Vince Dunn, Will Borgen and Cale Fleury.
The trio of defensemen were all given qualifying offers by the Kraken to maintain their rights ahead of the start of free agency last Saturday. Arbitration cases will be heard between July 20 and August 4.
Dunn is the most prominent player of the group for the Kraken and it would not be a surprise if he ended up as the team's highest paid player with his new contract.
Dunn, 26, finished 11th in voting this year for the Norris Trophy, which is given to the league's top defenseman. Dunn set career-highs across the board last year with 14 goals, 50 assists and 64 points last season for the Kraken. Dunn ranked 10th in points and assists among defensemen and 12th in goals.
The highest-paid player currently under contract for the Kraken is goaltender Philipp Grubauer with an average annual value of $5.9 million. A new deal for Dunn reasonably will land somewhere between $7-9 million a season.
Borgen, 26, is also in line for a raise after getting his first full season of play under his belt. Borgen had three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in 82 games played for Seattle last year. He began the year on the third pair with Carson Soucy before being bumped up to second pair duty with Jamie Oleksiak at midseason.
Fleury, 24, played in 12 games for Seattle last year as the team's seventh defenseman throughout the year with a lone assist.
The arbitration cases most often act as de facto deadlines for contract talks between restricted free agents and their teams. Specific dates for the respective cases will be solidified in the coming days.
Winger Kole Lind – who played the entire season for Coachella Valley in the AHL – was also given a qualifying offer by the Kraken. However, he did not elect to go to salary arbitration.