Seattle Kraken are not getting the Philipp Grubauer they signed up for
What Needs to Change for Grubauer?
It is unfair to put all the blame for the Seattle Kraken’s abysmal start solely on Philipp Grubauer. Were we promised a different result? In a way, yes. However, the Kraken is essentially a group of misfits that couldn’t find their place on their previous teams. Grubauer also benefitted from the privilege of spending the last three seasons backstopping a group of players in Colorado who had a few years to perfect their chemistry and owned the talent to go along with it.
In the last few games Grubauer started, fans saw glimpses of the goaltender they expected when he was signed in the offseason. He was confident and poised in the crease, making timely saves that he hadn’t made early on in the season.
On the menu for tonight's @WAFDbank's Signature Save of the Game – Double GRUUUUUU!
drop your GRUUUUU's below ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/VjJVHqjzDg
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 25, 2021
This could be a sign that Grubauer is getting comfortable with coach Dave Hakstol‘s style. It seems that the more self-assured he is between the pipes, the more confident the team in front of him is. The longer the Kraken play together, the more in tune they seem to be gelling with one another. This is a good omen for Seattle’s goaltenders, who haven’t gotten much help in front of the net this season.
Grubauer to-do list
There are still some areas that Grubauer needs to improve. First, he needs to maintain his confidence for 60 minutes. Consistency is another area of opportunity. He has one or two decent games, but then he loses all momentum in the third. His penchant for allowing untimely goals really needs to stop as well.
The Seattle Kraken also must continue to clean up their game defensively. Even though Grubauer is their last line of defense, he can’t do it all on his own. The team has collectively made decent strides over the last few games to fix this. If Grubauer continues to embrace the new system and cleans up his game, there is a good chance we will see him return to form.
Related Story: How the Kraken Can Turn Around Their Slow Start
Do you think Philipp Grubauer can turn things around? Or are the Seattle Kraken stuck with mediocre goaltending for the next several years? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.