Martin Jones, Seattle Kraken.
When the Seattle Kraken signed Martin Jones on the first day of free agency, many fans were left scratching their heads. Why would Ron Francis sign another NHL goaltender? Especially one that has been playing well below average the past few years. Numerous factors went into the decision.
Chris Driedger was finally finding his form in the offseason. He stole the crease for Team Canada in the World Championships and led them to the Gold Medal match.
In the third period, Driedger made an awkward save. Next thing, he’s lying on his back in excruciating pain. Driedger tore his right ACL and immediately underwent surgery.
His recovery time was slated to be eight months; the soonest Driedger could reasonably return to the Seattle Kraken lineup would be January 2023. By that time, half the season would be lost.
Based on his awful stats from the inaugural season, Francis couldn’t bank on Philipp Grubauer winning games from the crease. Insert AHL goaltender Joey Daccord.
Joey Daccord
Many Seattle Kraken fans immediately assumed the injury would result in Joey Daccord getting his time to shine in the NHL. The only issue is that Joey Daccord is no longer waiver-exempt.
What would Seattle do come January when Driedger returns? If the Kraken put Daccord on waivers mid-season, trying to return him to Coachella Valley, chances are he would not clear.
Another team could pick him up, and the Kraken get nothing in return. Francis wasn’t about to gamble on that. Especially if Daccord is Seattle’s goalie of the future.
Giving him a full season as a #1 goaltender in the AHL will help build his confidence. Daccord’s time is coming – it just is not here yet.
The only option Francis had left was to go after a backup goalie in the offseason.
Martin Jones has had an up-and-down career at best. He was an undrafted free agent signing by the LA Kings, then was traded to Boston Bruins for a whopping four days before the B’s flipped him to San Jose.
It was with the Sharks that Jones became a #1 goaltender and a fairly decent one at that. From 2015-19, Jones logged four straight seasons with 30+ wins. In the 2015-16 season, he led the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to Pittsburgh in 6 games.
Jones has 392 career regular season starts, along with 60 playoff starts. He just notched his 200th career regular-season win. That’s good for 94th in NHL history and 12th among active goaltenders (not including Carey Price and Mike Smith, who might never play again).
Following six seasons with SJ, the Sharks bought out Jones. He was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers to a 1 year, $2M contract one day later.
The 2021-22 season was one that Jones would love to forget, as he saw his Goals Against Average reach career highs and, in 33 games, did not see a single shutout appear in his stat line. Clearly, Philadelphia was not the right fit. Perhaps a move back to the West Coast is just what the doctor ordered.
All the stars aligned for Jones to return to the west coast as soon as the first day of free agency hit this spring when Francis came calling. Jones grew up in North Vancouver, spent his junior playing days in Calgary, and followed it up with playing for two different NHL teams on the West Coast.
There is something about the Pacific Ocean that speaks to Jones. He has embraced his opportunity to gain ice time with the Seattle Kraken, and the team rallies in front of him whenever he plays.
Jones is responsible for all but one of Seattle’s points in the standings this season. While his stat line does not look too attractive right now (3.91GAA and .860 sv%), the bigger picture is how the team in front of him plays.
The Seattle Kraken seem to play with a different kind of energy when he is in the net. Perhaps it’s his ability and willingness to make big saves. Or it could be his presence in the crease that gives players more confidence to block a shot.
The majority of the goals that Jones allowed are not his fault. Odd-man rushes and defensive turnovers often prove costly for a team.
I don’t know how long Jones will be with the Kraken – my guess is until the trade deadline. If he keeps playing the way he is, the Kraken will be in for a decent mid-round draft pick.
That’s more than the Seattle Kraken could have hoped for when they signed Jones. Pushing toward his 400th career start, you can bet that he wants to be in the crease more than he wants to be on the bench.
With Grubauer’s recent groin injury, expect to see more of Jones through the rest of the month. Hopefully, that translates into more Seattle Kraken “W”s.