The Seattle Kraken have signed defenceman Maxime Lajoie to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced on Monday. The annual cap hit for the deal comes in at $775,000 for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
The six-foot-one, left-handed blueliner was a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization during the 2023-2024 season. Lajoie suited up for 51 games with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, where he tallied four goals and 20 assists. He was called up for seven games with the Maple Leafs throughout the year, notching one assist.
The 26-year-old Quebec City native was a fifth-round draft pick in the 2016 NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators.
Lajoie spent the next three seasons within the Ottawa franchise before being traded in January of 2021 to the Carolina Hurricanes. He then spent the next three seasons predominantly with their minor league affiliate and recorded 99 points across 150 games with the Chicago Wolves — while winning the Calder Cup with them in 2021-2022.