Seattle Kraken are not getting the Philipp Grubauer they signed up for
Philipp Grubauer is one season removed from being a Vezina candidate. However, he has not been the goaltender the Seattle Kraken signed up for.
One of the Seattle Kraken’s biggest signing’s in free agency was Philipp Grubauer. Locking him down for 6-years at $35.4M ($5.9M AAV) seemed like a good deal for a goaltender who was fresh off a Vezina caliber season. So far, it hasn’t worked out that way.
As one of the faces of the newest franchise, Grubauer seemed ready to take on the responsibilities and demands of steering the franchise in the right direction. He wanted to be “the” guy and was ready to make history.
“Once the [free agency] window opened, Seattle called and it was a no-brainer for me to join a club that’s brand new, to be part of something and make history like [the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017] did, to be the first guys who they sign with this team.” – Philipp Grubauer (from NHL.com)
But oh, how the mighty have fallen. The thought that Seattle could potentially have one of the best goaltending tandems in the league has all but vanished. The six-year contract that seemed so exciting this summer leaves some of us counting down the days until its expiration in 2027.
Their backup goaltender, Chris Driedger, started the season on injured reserve. Since his return on October 16, Driedger hasn’t been much better and found himself back on IR Wednesday with a lower-body injury.
But, if things don’t turn around for Grubauer soon, he may find himself competing for the starting job in Seattle. A little friendly competition between the two goaltenders may not be a bad thing. Both players need to earn their starts, especially PG31.
Jeff Carter banks home the centering dish off of Grubauer to open the scoring for Pittsburgh!#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/pNQklRYqzK
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 7, 2021