Kraken Between The Pipes
Goalie Philipp Grubauer was back on the ice at practice on Tuesday and Seattle Kraken fans should be back to seeing the Kraken’s one-two punch of he and Martin Jones between the pipes sooner than later.
In the meantime, Jones continues to carry the workload effectively with his next challenge coming Thursday against the 8-6-and-3 New York Rangers, the 4th place team in the Metropolitan Division. They’re an excellent team around the net and in creating traffic.
The Kraken are 4-1-and-1 in the month of November and 3-4-and-2 at Climate Pledge Arena. Their second opportunity this week to improve on that home record will come Saturday night against the LA Kings, a team that will be coming off a game the night before in Vancouver against the Canucks.
While we wait …
Let’s Skate!
Those aforementioned Canucks ended a three-game losing streak and extended the Buffalo Sabres skid to six games with a 5-4 win on Tuesday night. The Kraken’s Pacific Northwest rival remains six points behind Seattle with one extra game played.
The Kraken’s next opportunity to beat their neighbors to the north will come December 22nd at Rogers Arena.
By the way, neither the Canucks or the Sabres, who entered the National Hockey League together in 1970, have ever won a Stanley Cup. Vancouver has been to the Stanley Cup Final and lost in 1982 (New York Islanders), 1994 (New York Rangers), and 2011 (Boston Bruins). The Sabres have fallen just short in 1975 (Philadelphia Flyers) and 1999 (Dallas Stars).
The only team that’s been around at least that long that’s gone even longer without a Stanley Cup win is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who last defeated the Montreal Canadiens in 1967.
Pacific Division
Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks leads NHL defenseman in scoring with ten goals and 22 points and his general manager is looking to trade him. Karlsson has a full no trade clause in the deal he signed in 2019.
“I’ll listen, but at the end of the day too, a lot will depend on Erik,” Sharks first year GM Mike Grier said after an NHL GM meeting on Tuesday. “He’s got the trade protection and (control over) what he wants to do. I know right now he’s happy, he’s happy in San Jose. His family’s happy there, and we’re thrilled with how he’s playing.”
A number of factors play a part in this decision or discussion. On one side, Grier could reap quite a bounty from a Stanley Cup contender looking for the 32-year-old, two-time Norris Trophy winner to put them over the top. At the same time, leaving the rebuilding Sharks could lead to an opportunity for the 14-year NHL veteran to finally win a Stanley Cup.
“Depending on how our season goes, I’ll try to be open and honest with those guys (veteran players) and keep them in the loop,” Grier added. “I also want their opinion on how they’re feeling and what they want to do as far as next steps in their career.”
Karlsson is in the fifth year of an eight-year deal.
Enjoy the Hockey Action !!
