It is always good to see players thrive outside the organization where they were drafted. That is the case with Seattle Kraken defenseman and former New Jersey Devils Adam Larsson.
Larsson just signed a four-year, $21 million contract with the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. His new cap hit carries an annual average value of $5.25 million. He was entering the final season of a four-year, $16 million contract, which he signed with the Kraken on July 21, 2021, the day the Kraken claimed him from the Edmonton Oilers during the 2021 Expansion Draft.
There was a lot of hope for Larsson when the Devils drafted him fourth overall in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft, not to mention a lot of hype surrounding him. There were comparisons to Victor Hedman, who the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted. Expectations were high, and he made the team right out of training camp. He was paired with Andy Greene and Henrik Tallinder throughout his rookie campaign.
Alexander Holtz Had the Potential to Be More Than a Defensive Forward in New Jersey
Through his first 48 games in the NHL, Larsson averaged around 22 minutes of ice time while training with Devils assistant coach Larry Robinson. Robinson, a Hockey Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens and head coach of the 2000 Devils team that won the Stanley Cup knows a thing or two about playing the position.
However, he was not the same player after a hit from P.K. Subban in his rookie season. It derailed his production. Though he only missed 10 games, Larsson was not the same player. He struggled to see playoff time in 2012, playing in only five games as the Devils lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
That would be the story of his career in New Jersey. He had multiple stints in the AHL either to recover from injury or because of a lockout. Adam Larsson would get guidance from Robinson, a Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman, and three-time Stanley Cup winner Scott Stevens. Even though he was with the big club, he could not earn the coaching staff’s trust. While injuries have a lot to do with it, the team expected him to move further along in his development, but that is because he was rushed into the NHL.
Despite being great as an 18-year-old, he probably needed time to develop in the minors and grow into his body. Under current GM Tom Fitzgerald, the Devils are doing that with their young defenseman. Back then, it was different. Unfortunately, if Larsson made a mistake, he rode the bench or was a healthy scratch.
Even though he signed a six-year extension with an AAV of $4.16 million in July 2015, the following season, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Taylor Hall. In Edmonton, Larsson played on the top pairing with Oskar Klefbom. He matured as a player and honed his game. Those two players complemented each other as they grew more confident in their defensive capabilities.
Larsson helped players like Klefbom and Darnell Nurse grow as players. You also saw what Larsson could do on the big stage. He helped the Oilers reach the second of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016 in Connor McDavid‘s and Leon Draisaitl‘s first seasons with the club. Larsson had two goals in a 7:30-minute stretch against Anaheim in the second round of the playoffs 2017. Not to mention logging 44:58 in Game 5 of Round 2 against those same Ducks.
He logged more minutes with each passing season. Larsson found a bigger role with the Oilers and continued success with Klefbom and Nurse. However, injuries crept into his game, and he was never the same player he was during his first few seasons with Edmonton. He had to deal with some personal issues that never allowed him to get back to the player he was.
A change of scenery was necessary, and he left for Seattle via the 2021 Expansion Draft. He helped the Kraken stabilize a defense corps that included Vince Dunn. Larsson played in all situations for then-head coach Dave Hakstol in Seattle, including penalty kill time. That area of his game started to develop in New Jersey and took off in Edmonton and Seattle.
New Jersey Devils Need Dawson Mercer at Training Camp
Hakstol, in talking with the media, said of Adam Larsson, “He is a measured professional who is a warrior for the team.” That is high praise for a player who could not find his footing in New Jersey. In the 2022-23 season, where the Kraken made it to the second round of the playoffs, Larsson had a career season tallying 33 points (eight goals and 25 assists).
This two-way defenseman has come a long way since he was drafted fourth overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2011. Adam Larsson has become a steady defenceman in the NHL, and all it took was a change of scenery.
.
