The Seattle Kraken re-activated goaltender Philipp Grubauer on Tuesday with his partner Joey Daccord presently owning the net. Expect to see ‘Grubi’ get a start during the remaining three games of this homestand.
The Kraken have four games ahead of the elongated NHL All-Star break with the last one being in San Jose against the Sharks on Tuesday.
Netminder Chris Driedger was reassigned to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL.
More on Grubauer in a bit. The rest of the re-emerging healthy bodies for the Kraken HERE.
Ex-Kraken Suffers
It’s been tough sledding for former Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy since joining the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent during the off-season.
The Irma, Alberta native played 13 games for his new club before suffering a serious lower body injury against the Montreal Canadiens on November 12th. After rehabbing, Soucy returned on January 6th against the New Jersey Devils. Eight games later he’s out again, this time suffering a hand injury against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
The initial injury prognosis keeps him out of the line-up for weeks.
An inaugural member of the Kraken, Soucy posted 37 points over 142 games for Seattle.
Bedard Update
The Chicago Blackhawks roll into Seattle off a 2-0 loss in Vancouver on Monday night. They’ll be here without rookie phenom Connor Bedard, who suffered a broken jaw on January 5th. The first-overall pick in last summer’s NHL Draft was disappointed not being able to play against his hometown Canucks, but based on the recovery timetable, that’s the least of his worries.
“He’s devastated not to be here and playing, let alone just being here, but he’s on course on the recovery,” Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said on Monday. “It’s going to be probably at least six weeks.”
Bedard started skating recently, just a couple of weeks after getting hit in the mouth and knocked out of the line-up by New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith.
Oilers Add
The Edmonton Oilers hope that Corey Perry’s uncanny ability to make the Stanley Cup Final will rub off on their club. They added the 38-year-old winger to their roster on Monday after he went through two months of counselling for personal issues.
The veteran started the season with the Blackhawks, but had his contract terminated on November 28th when an internal investigation determined he had “engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of both the terms of his standard player’s contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.”
Oilers GM Ken Holland sat next to Perry at a press conference on Monday after signing the former Stanley Cup champion (Anaheim Ducks, 2007) to a minimal contract for the remainder of the season.
“I’ve been working with people in the mental health field and in different fields,” Perry said. “It’s been a long time to get back to this spot, to be back on the ice with players in the NHL, and I have to thank my family and my friends and all the support I’ve gotten, the support from my counselors, and just try to better myself each and every day.”
Perry reached the Final recently in three consecutive seasons, only to lose all three times: Dallas Stars in 2020, Montreal Canadiens in 2021, and Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022.
The Bolts beat his Stars and his Habs for the Stanley Cup the two previous springs before he joined Tampa and lost to the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken’s Devin Shore Trying To Make The Most Of It
— Maple Leafs Defeat Kraken 3-1; Skid Hits 4 Games
