SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken signed captain Jordan Eberle to a two-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season with an average annual value of $5.5 million, general manager Jason Botterill announced Friday.
Eberle, 35, leads the Kraken with 22 goals and 42 points in 59 games.
“Obviously, when you have an opportunity to sign your captain for another two years, your leading scorer, a player that exemplifies so much that the Seattle Kraken are about, we are ecstatic to have him part of our organization for two more years," Botterill said. “He’s a great leader for our young players.”
Eberle's 22 goals are his most in a year since the 2021-22 season. He has been with the Kraken since the franchise's inaugural season in 2021-22.
“My family and I love Seattle,” Eberle said. “The organization is world-class, the culture here is incredible and the fans have been amazing since Day 1. We want to win here and I really believe we’re building something special in Seattle. I also want to thank Sam Holloway, Ron Francis and Jason Botterill for believing in me.”
Eberle is on track for his most goals in a season since he had 34 in 2011-12. He's second in franchise history in goals (89) and third in assists (130) and points (219).
Eberle was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft and has 770 points in 1,119 career games.
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Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) celebrates a goal with the bench in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks during an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Kevin Ng)
Vancouver Canucks left wing Drew O'Connor (18) and Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (7) battle for a loose puck in the first period during an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Kevin Ng)
Powerful storms ripped across Michigan on Friday, tearing the roof off a home improvement store and parts of a storage building, and knocking down trees as tornado warnings were issued across the southern part of the state.
In Edwardsburg, Michigan, area, near the Indiana border, officials reported downed trees and several homes that had been heavily damaged, and warned residents to avoid the area.
In St. Joseph County, about 34 miles (54.7 kilometers) northeast of Edwardsburg, the sheriff's office told residents to “seek shelter immediately” following reports of an unconfirmed tornado, a severe thunderstorm watch and possible winds more than 60 mph (96.6 kph).
“Citizens should anticipate power outages, closed roadways and/or neighborhoods and cellular/internet interruptions,” the office said on Facebook.
Powerful storms were forming Friday afternoon in Michigan and all the way to North Texas. There were no immediate confirmed reports of a tornado on the ground, but many videos posted online showed violent, rotating columns of air in Michigan.
In an eerie scene captured on video Thursday, a first responder drove straight at a storm near the western Oklahoma town of Fairview, where flashes of lightning illuminated a giant funnel that appeared to reach the ground. That storm, among the first outbreaks of severe weather on the verge of the spring storm season, was filmed by a camera mounted on the deputy's car.
Nearby, a 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter from Fairview were found dead in a vehicle near an intersection of a highway and a county road at about 10 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. The crash “appears to be tornado related,” Sarah Stewart, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said in a statement.
“Severe weather struck Major County last night and tragically claimed the lives of a mother and daughter," Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement Friday. "I am praying for the family as they grieve this tragic loss, as well as all those impacted by the storms.”
The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, planned to send out a damage survey crew Friday to see whether Thursday night’s storms were confirmed tornadoes, meteorologist Ryan Bunker said. “As of right now, we’re still investigating that.”
More than 7 million Americans were at the highest risk of severe weather Friday in an area that includes the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Omaha, Nebraska, according to the national Storm Prediction Center. Nearly 25 million people were at a slightly lesser risk in a zone that includes Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Severe, scattered thunderstorms are expected Friday evening from areas of the Plains states to the Ozarks and Midwest, the National Weather Service said.
“The greatest potential for a few strong tornadoes and very large hail should exist across eastern portions of Oklahoma/Kansas/Nebraska into western Arkansas/Missouri and southern Iowa,” it said.
The general setup for the strong storms is a clash between warm air streaming north from the Gulf Coast and cooler Canadian air behind cold fronts, according to meteorologists with the private forecasting service AccuWeather.
“This is probably our first real event this season where people are really starting to pay attention getting into the spring storm season,” said Melissa Mayes, deputy director of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, north of Tulsa.
The spring storms in the forecast come near the start of what many call tornado season, which generally begins at different times in different parts of the U.S. Experts recommend a few simple safety steps to take before tornadoes hit, including having a weather radio and a plan for where to take shelter.
Meanwhile, parts of the Northeast were under winter weather advisories as rain, snow and slush made for a messy morning commute from Pennsylvania to Maine on Friday. Several vehicle slide-offs were also reported on the Maine Turnpike as drivers contended with sleet and snow.
Some schools canceled or delayed classes in states including New Hampshire and Maine.
The weather began to ease at midmorning in some areas, but Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut remained under weather advisories. In Ohio, flood warnings were issued in the southern part of the state.
In parts of the southern U.S., the weather pattern is also expected to usher in extremely warm temperatures for this time of year by the weekend.
“Temperatures will be 20-30 degrees above average, with 80s reaching as far north as parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic,” federal forecasters wrote in their long-range forecast discussion. “Daily records could become widespread.”
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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire, and Martin reported from Atlanta. Associated Press Writer Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, contributed.
Damage is seen at Menard's store after a severe storm in Three Rivers, Mich., Friday, March 6, 2026. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP)
Damage is seen after a severe storm in Three Rivers, Mich., Friday, March 6, 2026. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP)
Damage is seen after a severe storm in Three Rivers, Mich., Friday, March 6, 2026. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP)
Damage is seen at the Menard's store after a severe storm in Three Rivers, Mich., Friday, March 6, 2026. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP)
FILE - This photo shows the National Weather Service monitoring station in Brownville, Texas, May 23, 2014. (David Pike/Valley Morning Star via AP, File)
This image taken from video provided by the Fairview, Okla., Emergency Management shows a severe weather system west of Fairview, Okla., late Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Danny Giager/ Fairview Emergency Management via AP)
