How could it possibly be a problem for the Seattle Kraken if goalie Philipp Grubauer has another strong season?
It’s complicated.
One reason is that Grubauer thrives on work. He was never better in a Kraken uniform than during the 2022-23 playoffs. He out-dueled his former team, the defending champion Colorado Avalanche, in a seven game series. He backstopped Seattle to a seventh game again in the 2nd round against the Dallas Stars.
The 14-year veteran compiled an admirable .903 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average against a pair of powerful Western Conference offenses. At the time, I asked Grubauer if he was drained from playing all 14 high-pressure playoff games. To the contrary, “Grubi” explained, he thrived on the every-other-day workload.
The same was true last season, as goaltending partner Joey Daccord faltered. Grubauer took over as number one goalie, recording a 2.65 GAA and .908 save percentage. That far exceeded the league averages of 2.88 GAA and .896 save %. Quite the turnaround for a player considered an offseason buyout candidate.
“It helped definitely getting more opportunities to play,” Grubauer said in April. “That’s what I was missing (the year before). You get out there and you can help the team. It’s always hard if you come back from injury or if you sit on a bench for four weeks, your first game is always going to be rusty.
“So it definitely helps to get into the rhythm. The way our coaching staff communicated (starting assignments) was incredible. It kept both Joey and me, the right amount of rest and the right amount of ice time.”
Is This Supposed To Be A Kraken Problem?
Well, yes and no. Of course the Kraken will benefit from Grubauer replicating his 2025-26 numbers. Seattle needs a lot to go right to squeeze into the playoffs.
But.
For Grubauer to get the perform-his-best workload, that means Daccord didn’t recover from a substandard last season in net. It means Daccord may have to “sit on a bench for four weeks.” This is a goalie who once told me, “I would play every game if they let me.”
The German netminder is in the last season of a six year, $35 million deal. Grubauer, who turns 35 in November, is five years older than Daccord. It’s hard to imagine the Kraken wishing to re-sign him, and like Jaden Schwartz, Grubauer might desire to chase another ring with a contender.
Even should he play lights-out and desire to return, Grubauer would invariably ask for more money than Seattle wants to pay. Remember, Daccord’s 5-year, $25 million contract runs through the 2029-30 season. That’s not backup money.
Maybe, just maybe, the best outcome for all concerned is if Grubauer does maintain last year’s form. The Kraken – if they’re willing to break from this past season’s precedent – could then find a willing trade deadline partner, to receive assets for a vet on an expiring contract.
Earlier Kraken:
— Should Kraken Expect Repeat Excellence From Grubauer
