Kraken Place Former Stanley Cup Champion Goaltender on Waivers
The Seattle Kraken may have just taken everyone off guard today, as they have placed their 365-game NHL goaltender on waivers today in order to reassign him.
The Seattle Kraken are at a crossroads with their goaltender, whose performance this season has fallen significantly short, leaving the team exploring options for his exit.
Despite being a Stanley Cup winner with the Washington Capitals in 2018, he has only five wins in 21 games, a save percentage of .866, and a goals-against average of 3.83. These stats are unacceptably low.
The Kraken have placed Philipp Grubauer on waivers
Due to his struggles this season, the Kraken have decided to part ways with him for now, by placing him on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to the AHL.
Brandon Saad, who was placed on waivers yesterday by the St. Louis Blues, has cleared and was assigned to the AHL.
Sending Grubauer to the AHL, or him possibly being picked up by another team could rejuvenate the team's chances for a postseason run, particularly as his contract still has two years remaining at $5.9 million annually.
The Kraken are prepared to move forward with Joey Daccord for the rest of the season it appears, as his numbers have fared far better.
Daccord has 14 wins, a .917 save percentage, and 2.41 goals-against average in 27 games.
While Grubauer's stats indicate the need for change, some analysts argue that his struggles could be tied to team dynamics rather than solely his performance, as the Kraken have been unable to generate much offense either.
For the Kraken to improve their playoff chances, despite it being highly unlikely they make it at this point, a decisive move regarding Grubauer was necessary to address the goaltending crisis.
The Kraken are hoping that placing Grubauer on waivers can serve as a wake-up call for the rest of the team to perform better going forward.
