Early Candidates to Represent Seattle Kraken at the 2023 All-Star Game
The Seattle Kraken are off to an outstanding start in their second season. We look at who might represent the team at this season's All-Star Game.
Martin Jones
Seattle went into the 2022-23 season with Phillipp Grubauer and Martin Jones as their one-two punch in between the pipes. Last year Grubauer led the team in appearances (55), compiling an uninspiring 18-31-5 record. Meanwhile, Jones struggled as a backup with the Philadelphia Flyers (12-18-3).
The duo’s fate took a blow in late October when Grubauer went down with a lower-body injury. That move opened the door for Jones to take over as a number one goalie again, like in his days with the San Jose Sharks, and he hasn’t looked back.
Jones was the backbone of the Sharks franchise for six seasons, taking his team to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. After two-subpar seasons in 2020 and 2021, the Seattle Kraken brought him to town to sure up their goalie pool with Chris Driedger out of action for an extended period.
So far, Jones has impressed the team and fanbase with his performance, thanks to a 7-4-1 record and one shutout. He’s sporting a 2.32 goals-against average (GAA) and .910 save percentage (SV%), his best numbers in four seasons. If you look up goalies across the league, Jones ranks sixth in wins and 17th in GAA.
The selection process for goalie inclusion at the All-Star Game is slightly different than the skaters. However, the Kraken can have two players at the game if Jones keeps pace with the other elite goalies in the league.