Philipp Grubauer placed on waivers by Seattle Kraken

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 28: Philipp Grubauer #31 of the Seattle Kraken has a shot by Jackson LaCombe #2 of the Anaheim Ducks get past for a goal in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena on January 28, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Alika Jenner / Getty Images)

The Seattle Kraken have finally run out of patience with goaltender Philipp Grubauer as they placed the veteran on waivers on Wednesday with the intention of sending him to AHL Coachella Valley,

Grubauer allowed five goals on 22 shots faced against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. While defensive lapses left Grubauer with no chance to stop at least three of the goals, he also completely whiffed on a wrist shot from Jackson LaCombe from just inside the blue line. It's at least the second time this season that Grubauer has just plainly whiffed on a glove save from distance. He also let an Ethan Cardwell wrist shot against the San Jose Sharks get through his glove in an 8-5 loss in November.

"We hung him out to dry," head coach Dan Bylsma said of Grubauer on Tuesday night.

While that may be accurate in a one-game sample size alone, the reality when it comes to Grubauer is that this has been a much bigger problem for the team. 

Dig deeper:

The Kraken are just 5-15-2 this season in games with Grubauer in net. His .866 save percentage is the worst in the NHL among qualified goaltenders, and he's allowed 17.5 goals over expected – also worst in the league – according to MoneyPuck.com. Grubauer is allowing nearly a full goal a game (0.906) over expected per MoneyPuck's metrics.

Daccord has a 17-12-2 record in 31 decisions in net for Seattle. Grubauer is 5-15-1 in 21 decisions for the Kraken. With Daccord in net, the Kraken play at a 95.2 point pace, which would have them legitimately in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. With Grubauer, they play at a 43.0 point pace, which would be the lowest by any team in a full 82-game season since the Atlanta Thrashers had 39 points in 1999-2000.

Playing behind the same team, Daccord has a .917 save percentage, which ranks fifth-best in the NHL behind Logan Thompson (.927, WSH), Anthony Stolarz (.927, TOR), Connor Hellebuyck (.927, WIN), and Darcy Kuemper (.919, LAK).

Absolutely nothing is coming easy for Grubauer. Even saves on relatively normal shots see Grubauer struggling to make clean saves. Grubauer is struggling to control rebounds, watching pucks sail by his glove, and shots leak through his pads and find a way into the net.

And while it's clearly the worst Grubauer has been with Seattle, his struggles have been a constant theme during his four years with the team. He doesn't have a single season with a save percentage over .900, and has posted a losing record in net in three of his four years with the Kraken. Only the playoff season of 2022-23 saw Grubauer finish with a 17-14-4 mark. Grubauer was also terrific in the playoffs for Seattle that spring, posting a .903 save percentage in 14 games.

Grubauer's start against Anaheim was his first in eight games for Seattle. He was pulled after allowing three goals on four shots to the Detroit Red Wings in his last outing, which, again, saw major defensive lapses by the Kraken. Daccord had made every start since, with some standout performances in net against Washington and Pittsburgh. But with the back-to-back against Edmonton on Monday night and Anaheim on Tuesday, Grubauer needed to take the net for what ultimately ended up being a last chance to get right.

While Grubauer has to go through waivers, no team in the NHL is going to claim the worst goaltender in the league this year and his $5.9 million salary. Grubauer will presumably get the chance to play more regularly for the Firebirds to try to recapture some level of form at the AHL level.  The AHL will continue to play games during February when the NHL is on a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off as well, which gives Grubauer more playing opportunities.

Aleš Stezka or Nikke Kokko are the likely options to come up from Coachella Valley and backup Daccord in the meantime. Neither goaltender has played a single game at the NHL level yet in their careers, though Stezka has been the backup when Seattle has faced injuries to Grubauer and Daccord this season.

The Kraken roster needs some belief they can still win a game when Daccord isn't in goal. Daccord can't play every night, though they've pushed him hard in recent weeks. Now someone else will get a chance to backup in Seattle for the time being.

Grubauer has two more years remaining on his contract at $5.9 million a season. It would not be a shock if that contract was bought out by the Kraken at the end of the year.

The Source: Original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

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