Kraken put Grubauer on waivers

 

In Tuesday night’s game between the Seattle Kraken and the Anaheim Ducks, Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma stood stoically behind the bench, his head facing downward. One could only wonder what was going through the first-year head coach’s mind.

Bylsma had just seen his goaltender, Philipp Grubauer surrender five goals on 12 shots to one of the weaker teams in the NHL. Was Bylsma contemplating pulling Grubauer as he had done in his previous two starts?

Joey Daccord had started the previous eight games and certainly deserved a night off. In fact, he had played in every game since returning from an injury, twice replacing Grubauer in the two games he started. The Kraken wound up losing the game 6-4.

Yesterday, the team placed Grubauer on waivers for the purpose of optioning him to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Kraken’s AHL affiliate. Grubauer, the highest paid Kraken (5.8 mil. a season) and the first free agent signed in the team’s history.

Grubauer’s hefty salary scared teams away,, but there’s speculation that the Kraken would buy out the goalie’s contract- at the end of this season – Grubauer’s under contract until the 2026-27 season.

A buyout however, would cost the Kraken $3.91 million against the salary cap, to be paid out the final two years of Grubi’s contract.

If Grubauer has played his final game, it’s not without a bit of nostalgia. Grubauer played the best hockey of his Kraken career in the first round of the 2022-23 playoffs when Grubauer and the Kraken shocked the hockey world defeating his former team (and defending Stanley Cup champion)  the Colorado Avalanche.

And it’s hard to believe that we may no longer here the chant of `Gruuuu’ echo throughout Climate Pledge Arena. TV voice of the Kraken, John Forslund added to Grubauer’s popularity always calling him `The German Gentleman.’ To his teammate, he was just `Grubi.’

``This is tough for everyone,’’ said defenseman Adam Larsson, who also signed as a free agent shortly after Grubauer. ``You look past the hockey side – it’s a friend who’s not here now.’’

``When you’ve seen a guy you’ve had success with and seen him play well, it’s tough for Grubi obviously, and the team, because it’s a team game,’’ said Bylsma.

The Kraken plan for now, Grubauer should see plenty of rubber with the Firebirds, as Seattle will take a two week break for the 4 Nations hockey series. Seattle hopes that Grubi will find his game in the Palm Desert and return to make a contribution before season’s end.

If Grubauer doesn’t return, he’s certainly made his mark in Kraken history. While his save percentage has been below .900 in his four years in Seattle he’s always come across as a classy individual – and a snappy dresser with an impressive array of chapeaus..

Our favorite Grubauer memory came in the Kraken’s first season. Grubauer and Chris Driedger, the Kraken’s other goaltender at the time, were both touched up in a one-sided loss to the Colorado Avalanche. In their next home game, Seattle posted a surprising win over the Edmonton Oilers.

After that game, Grubauer said he was happy for the fans as they had cheered for the Kraken when they were behind against the Avalanche. ``Some fans would have been throwing beer bottles at us,’’ Grubauer exclaimed.

That brought a howl from the Seattle press corps that wondered if there was a German Beer League in Grubauer’s home country.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Grubi can hit the re-start bottom on his NHL career.