Kraken waive goaltender Philipp Grubauer

Hours after another rough outing in net, the Seattle Kraken waived playoff hero and former top-paid player Philipp Grubauer, with the purpose of assigning him to the minors.
Grubauer allowed five goals on 22 shots against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. Joey Daccord, recently extended and seemingly the Kraken’s goalie of the future, started the previous seven games. Grubauer was pulled from his most recent starts Jan. 9 and 12 and replaced with Daccord.
Coach Dan Bylsma defended Grubauer, 33, somewhat after the Anaheim game, saying he was “hung out to dry” by his teammates and adding he judged Grubauer’s game by the “too many pucks he didn’t have a chance on.” Asked if Grubauer was left in the lurch disproportionately more compared to Daccord, Bylsma answered simply “no.”
Daccord’s numbers are among the league’s best. In the group of goalies who have played at least 30 games, Daccord’s 2.45 goals-against average is good for fifth. His .917 save percentage trails only Connor Hellebuyck’s .927. Hellebuyck plays for the Western Conference-best Winnipeg Jets and is the defending league MVP.
Grubauer’s 3.83 goals-against average and .866 save percentage are career-worsts and at the bottom of the list for goalies who have appeared in at least 20 games. The Kraken (22-27-3) are 5-15-1 when he’s the goalie of record. He hasn’t logged a win since Dec. 30, a span of six games.
When a player is put on waivers, the other teams have 24 hours to claim him. If there are multiple claims, the worse team in the standings has the edge. If no one takes the bait — and at $5.9 million a year, with two years left on Grubauer’s contract, there’s a good chance no one will — the Kraken have the option to assign him to Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League and recall another goalie, maybe Ales Stezka or Nikke Kokko, to back up Daccord. They would need to do so by Thursday, when the Kraken host the San Jose Sharks.
Grubauer doesn’t have to be assigned to the minors if he clears. The Kraken just have that option. Earlier this season defenseman Josh Mahura was waived for salary cap-space reasons and immediately rejoined the team.
Neither Stezka nor Kokko have made a single NHL save. Stezka was drafted by the Minnesota Wild, but had spent the past six seasons in Czechia’s top two professional leagues when the Kraken signed him to his first NHL contract in 2023 at age 26. He was recalled to back up Daccord and Grubauer at various points this season, but never entered a game.
The Kraken drafted Kokko 58th overall in 2022. The Oulu, Finland, native is 20 years old and the franchise’s top goaltending prospect, enjoying his first season in North America. He has a 2.49 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 17 appearances (12-3-1) for Coachella Valley. Some low-risk NHL experience with the Kraken outside of playoff contention could do him good, but he’s playing well with the Firebirds. Management might prefer to stay the course with Kokko.
Either goalie could back up Daccord until the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-off, which begins Feb. 9. Five games remain and there are no back-to-backs, so Daccord could feasibly handle the entire workload. In the likely event Grubauer clears waivers, he can be recalled from the AHL at any time. Perhaps he uses this stretch to regain some confidence and returns to the Kraken after the break, around Feb. 22.
The Kraken could look elsewhere for help in goal. The trade deadline is March 7.
Another exit strategy becomes available in June, just after the Stanley Cup Final. The Kraken can buy out the last two years on Grubauer’s contract. As he’s older than 26, two-thirds of his remaining salary would be owed, spread out over four years. It would be costly, more than $1.5M per year, but it’s the cleanest way to clear the way for Daccord to take over in net, with more consistent help.
A Rosenheim, Germany, native, Grubauer was the team’s No. 1 goaltender and assumed future star when the Kraken signed him to that six-year, $35.4 million deal prior to their inaugural season. He had just been named a Vezina Trophy finalist with the Colorado Avalanche and logged a career-best 1.95 goals-against average.
He was in net for the Kraken’s first game, but the 2021-22 season wasn’t kind to him or anyone else. He went on to appear in 151 regular-season Kraken games (54-76-12, 3.10 GAA, .890 SV%, four shutouts) spread across four seasons, the worst statistical seasons in his 11-year career. He’s dealt with several long-term injuries and job security was consistently questioned, but each time the situation looked especially dire, he found a way back.
After Martin Jones kicked off the Kraken’s best regular season yet in 2022-23, Jones faltered coming out of the All-Star break and Grubauer took over. Grubauer played every minute of the Kraken’s only postseason, which ended two goals shy of the 2023 Western Conference Finals. He was consistently their best player.
Daccord broke out during a franchise-best nine-game win streak last winter while Grubauer was injured for more than a month. Toward the end of the season, when Daccord looked like the franchise’s new top goaltender, he quietly dealt with a nagging injury. Grubauer, again, helped the team limp into the offseason.
Grubauer spelled Daccord while the latter was injured just after Christmas. Grubauer made a season-high six straight starts and the Kraken went 2-3-1. Other than that, he’s largely been in a backup role since the first few weeks of the season. Daccord has appeared in 33 games to Grubauer’s 21.
Grubauer has the fifth highest salary cap hit on the team behind Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson, Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour.