SEATTLE — Brandon Montour will be playing for more than the Seattle Kraken when he returns to the lineup against the Edmonton Oilers at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; KHN, KONG, SN1, CBC).

The 31-year-old defenseman has returned from a personal leave of absence following the death of his older brother, Cameron Noble-Montour, who died Monday after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease affecting the nervous system more commonly known as ALS.

Cameron, who is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a stepdaughter, was 34.

“So, my older brother’s been dealing with ALS for three, four years now, and it was a rough week,” Montour said. “I’m very proud and very happy to be his brother. He’s somebody that I’ve looked up to since, obviously, Day 1. [He was] a great son, brother, best friend, father. He’s got two baby girls.

“He battled hard. It puts everything in perspective with the highs that I’ve had in the last couple years, with winning (the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024) and hockey and having babies and creating my own family. [All that time], he was at home battling. Right until Monday when it happened, he was smiling, and he was ready.”

The Kraken announced on Oct. 18 that Montour would be away from the team on a temporary leave of absence because of a family matter. They played four games without Montour, going 2-2-0, including a 3-0 win at the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

Montour, who missed most of training camp after having a bursa removed from his ankle, rejoins the Kraken, who will play at home for the first time since a 2-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 11. Seattle was 2-2-2 on its six-game road trip.

“I’ve only practiced once or twice a year and missed a lot, so I’ll try to get back into it as quick as I can,” Montour said. “I’ve been watching from afar and [been] happy with how the guys are playing.”

Montour, who has four assists in four games this season, will skate on a defense pair with Ryan Lindgren on Saturday.

“Clearly, our hearts have been with [Brandon],” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “The support has been with him, and we’re going to have to continue to support him through this time. I think it’s important… obviously, it’s important to have him back, not only as a player, but certainly as a leader. And it’s important for him to get back into the groove of the game and maybe take his mind off of a little bit of the outside part of it. But certainly, we feel for him, and we’ve supported, and we’ll continue to support.”

Montour, who is in his second season with Seattle after signing a seven-year contract on July 1, 2024, said the love from his teammates has helped grieve the loss of Cameron.

“Everyone’s reached out, which has been unbelievable,” Montour said. “For the other guys, you don’t really know what to say. It’s one of those things where, obviously, you know how the people [grieving] are feeling. But the guys have been great. It’s a good group with realizing that there’s things outside of the game that are important. I needed time, I still need time. This is going to be a long process, but I’m happy to be back.”