Brandon Montour Is Back, Has Fond Florida Panthers Memories

FORT LAUDERDALE — With the Seattle Kraken staying on A1A this week, Brandon Montour has been flooded with memories of a rainy Sunday last summer spent on the beach with all of his buddies from the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers Stanley Cup championship parade rolled right past where Montour, Josh Mahura, and the rest of the Kraken are staying this week.

Seattle has even practicing at the IcePlex, the building Montour called home at least for a little while last season.

It has been a nice trip down memory lane for a player who seemed to enjoy every moment he spent in South Florida.

“Good memories,” said Montour, whose new team plays the Panthers in Sunrise tonight. “Just walking down, driving down Federal and all of those memories on the beach. That’s pretty cool. That memory of taking a right [on A1A] and it’s storming, and seeing the amount of people on the streets, on the beach, at the hotels and restaurants.

“Me and [Mahura] were just reminiscing, looking at some old pictures of the parade and stuff like that. It’s cool, really cool to be back.”

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Montour’s final week as a member of the Panthers went by in a flash.

During the week of partying following their Game 7 win over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final, there was the business side leaking in as Montour and his representation worked on finding a new home.

The parade, which went on despite a torrential rain storm, came on the eve of free agency opening.

Montour’s new seven-year, $49 million contract with the Kraken was worth a boatload more than the Panthers could pay — and was one of the first to be released hours after the parade ended.

During his time with the Panthers, Montour evolved into one of the top defensemen in the NHL after starting with the Ducks and playing in Buffalo.

Everything changed for Montour when he came to the Panthers.

He made lifelong friends here, teammates he still connects with on a text chain which at times makes him feel like he never really left.

“When we finished, it was, I had to find a new team in the next couple days,” he said. “We finished the celebration, figured out what was best for our future. … The year has gone by really fast. Coming back here, it feels like we still live here in a sense. Good memories, but having a heck of a time in Seattle.”

But leave he did. And leave he had to.

The Seattle Kraken wanted Montour not only for his play on the ice, but for the kind of player he is off of it.

And they are paying him handsomely for it.

“Confidence, swagger, mojo,” Seattle coach Dan Bylsma said when asked what Montour brought to the Kraken.

“He is an elite skater, an elite defenseman. He is a baller. He brings that mentality to every game. When we talk about playing Seattle Kraken hockey, Monty’s at the forefront of what that means.”

Montour said Friday that while he enjoyed the time he had celebrating the Stanley Cup with the Panthers, he did miss out on a lot as summer turned into fall.

The Panthers had their ring ceremony without Montour and the rest of the players who moved on, raised the Stanley Cup banner without them as well.

“The only kind of bummer about leaving was seeing all the experiences they had; the White House, the banner,” he said. “They had days with the Cup, and we had it pretty quickly. Got our 24 hours and that was it. Seeing guys celebrate it as long as they did was cool, but that was kind of the only thing that sucked. But it will be cool to get back in there.”

Got dinner with some good friends last night and gave them some bling 💍

Congrats Monty and Muzzy! pic.twitter.com/sH0t111bhu

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) December 10, 2024

When the Panthers traveled to Seattle earlier in the season, they asked Montour if he would rather wait and get his Stanley Cup championship ring when he came to South Florida.

“No way! You guys bring those things here,” Montour recalled. “Those relationships over the years, we’re still close, and they’ll last forever.”

Tonight, Montour and Mahura get to see the Stanley Cup banner they helped the Panthers win for the first time in person.

Then, a chapter of their lives that they’ll never forget will close a little more.

“It’s going to be cool. In the end, it’s hockey,’’ Montour said. “Hopefully there’s some cheers. It’s going to be a cool experience.”

ON DECK: GAME No. 58

SEATTLE KRAKEN at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Season Series (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Seattle: Panthers 2, Kraken 1 SO (Dec. 11). At Florida: Feb. 22.
• Last Season: Tied 1-1
• All-Time Regular Season Series: Seattle leads 4-3-0
• Up Next for the Panthers: Tuesday at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.