Seattle Kraken are not getting the Philipp Grubauer they signed up for
Rough Seas in Seattle
Statistically speaking, Philipp Grubauer is having the worst season of his career. There are plenty of contributing factors that are out of his control. However, the fact of the matter is, the player who Seattle signed to be the backbone of their team is failing. And in turn, so is his team.
Before the 2021-22 season, Gruby never saw his save percentage dip below .915. This season, it has dropped dramatically. His current .891 save percentage is the worst among starting netminders around the league. He is currently tied for the third most in goals against (54), which is not a list Grubauer wants to see his name near the top of, especially when the three goaltenders above him are performing better in almost every other metric.
His 3.02 GAA is in the bottom half among goaltenders. To top it all off, Grubauer’s 10.47 GSAA (goals saved above average) have him sitting at the bottom of the league.
The facts are undeniable, and Philipp Grubauer is statistically the worst goaltender in the league. While it may be too early to play the blame game, he is a big reason the Seattle Kraken is a bottom ten team in the NHL right now. And he is certainly not playing like a netminder who is making almost $6M a season.
Hockey players are known to decline with age, and goaltenders are no exception to the rule. However, Grubauer’s startling decline is bizarre. Something needs to change for him and, if not, Seattle.