Kraken Goalies
Having written about his contract, his shortcomings, and the Kraken goaltending situation on a number of recent occasions, it comes as no surprise at all that the club waived Philipp Grubauer on Wednesday for the purpose of sending him to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League.
That’s where he’ll end up on Thursday, unless of course another NHL club shows interest and claims him. That would be a dream come true for the Kraken, but highly unlikely.
No one wants to deal with an under-performing veteran netminder who has a $5.9-million salary cap hit on a contract that has two years remaining.
Short of that, Grubi will likely get some work in at the AHL level and then be returned to Seattle. Down the road, a buy-out is a distinct possibility, which would reduce his cap hit over the next two seasons, and spread that cap hit out over the next four.
Kraken GM Ron Francis has options. Another would be trading Grubauer to a club desperate for help, while holding on to a large chunk of that salary. It’s the only way Seattle would be able to unload him.
As we pointed out in an article earlier today, Joey Daccord has wholeheartedly taken over the Kraken crease. “Grubi” has some of the worst stats in the NHL; a goals against average at 3.83 and a save percentage at a pathetic .866.
Heading the other direction should be Firebirds goaltender Ales Stezka, a 28-year-old Czechia native who’s looking to play in his first NHL game. He’s had a few impressive moments at Kraken training camps since signing as a free agent with the franchise back in May of 2023, although his AHL numbers this season aren’t very impressive. (3.00, .902)
The other option would be to give 20-year-old Finn, 2022 2nd-round NHL Draft pick Niklas Kokko a look. The Finn has 12 wins against three losses this season with the Firebirds and superior statistics to his older crease partner. (2.49, .909)
It would also mean having a Kakko and a Kokko on the Kraken roster.
Seattle hosts the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. If Grubauer clears, he could join the Firebirds on the road in Texas to play the AHL Stars on Friday night.
