SEATTLE: With his relentless energy, frenetic playing style and a history of goofy headshots, Brandon Tanev quickly became the fan favorite on the Seattle Kraken’s inaugural roster.
Even though he is now out for the season with a serious knee injury, Tanev and the Kraken are finding ways to keep one of the team’s most popular players involved in strengthening the connection with fans in the new NHL market.
Connecting with the fans, obviously its been great since Ive been drafted here in the expansion draft and theres great opportunity for myself to continue to reach out and be a part of the community and have different experiences with the fans, Tanev said. Recovery process is going to be tough and long, but at the same time, theres an opportunity here to kind of branch out.
The Kraken announced Monday that Tanev will be taking on an outreach role with the team while continuing his recovery from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Tanev was injured on Dec. 18 against Edmonton and underwent surgery on Dec. 30. He is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season.
Tanev finished the season with nine goals and six assists and his energy on the ice was key for the Kraken. He scored six goals in Seattles first eight games after becoming the expansion draft selection from Pittsburgh. Tanev is under contract with the Kraken through the 2024-25 season.
Our medical team here is doing a great job of getting me back on my feet and progress is going well, Tanev said. Its just a day to day process of getting better and feeling better, and its nice to be around the guys and lifting spirits.
Tanev doesnt seem to have an official title, but ambassador might be the best description. His role could include stopping in at a youth hockey clinic, jumping on a virtual meeting with season-ticket holders or making an appearance at another outreach event through the team.
His most visible role to the masses, though, will be on television. Tanev is expected to occasionally join the teams local TV broadcasts.
Its a different aspect that Im not used to. And I think its going to be an opportunity to have some fun and connect with everybody in the broadcast booth, Tanev said. Have some fun, maybe throw some subtle jabs at some teammates along the way and see how they take it.
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Read all the Latest News here
Comments
0 comment