Kraken Avoid Arbitration With Massive Extension For Vince Dunn

The Seattle Kraken have taken care of their final potential arbitration case in a big way. They've come to pre-arbitration terms with top defenseman Vince Dunn on a huge extension. 

GOT THE DEAL DUNN! ✍️

We’ve agreed to terms with defenseman @vince_dunn on a four-year contract with a $7.35M AAV! pic.twitter.com/Usj1T21Y8X

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 21, 2023

It's a four-year deal for Dunn, totalling $29.4M, with a $7.35M AAV. A full no-trade clause takes effect in the second season, which goes down to a partial 16-team no-trade list in the third and fourth years of the deal.

The terrific two-way D-man broke through big-time in 2022-23, blowing away his previous career-highs, with 50 assists and 64 points in 81 games, to go with a plus-28 rating. He also was counted on for a personal-high 23:40 time on ice per game. 

Only five blueliners in the past decade have had more even-strength points in a season than Dunn did this year. And it's an impressive list. 

Every defenseman in the last decade that has had more 5v5 points in a season than Vince Dunn did this year:

— Erik Karlsson
— Roman Josi
— Cale Makar
— Morgan Rielly
— Brent Burns

And he's really good defensively. pic.twitter.com/h0QJjvBgGZ

— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) July 21, 2023

The Kraken were rewarded handsomely for selecting Dunn in the 2021 expansion draft from the St. Louis Blues, and now they've done the same for the 26-year-old defenseman. 

Photo: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports