To say goaltender Philipp Grubauer has been below average this season is likely the understatement of the decade. In 21 games played in ’24-’25, Grubauer has a measly five wins. To add to this, he is currently sporting a dismal .866 save percentage, along with a goals against average of 3.83. Yes, hockey is a team sport, but his counterpart Joey Daccord has 17 wins in 33 games played, along with a save percentage of .917 (4th in the league) and a GAA of 2.41 (8th overall). The team simply plays better in front of Daccord- and Joey makes the important saves when the team needs them most. The same cannot be said for Grubauer.
When GM Ron Francis signed Grubauer shortly after the expansion draft, it was thought that Philipp found his groove between the pipes. He was coming off a season which he ranked second in Vezina Trophy votes, awarded annually for the top goaltender in the regular season. He had a career year in ’20-’21 by winning 30 games for the Colorado Avalanche. The hope in Seattle was to recreate that success, albeit far from reality now. In his first four years of the Kraken’s six-year contract, he has a save percentage of .888 and a GAA of 3.15. These numbers simply don’t cut it. Sure, he helped the Kraken to Game #7 of the Western Conference semi-finals in ’22-’23- but that was more about the team playing better in front of him. He still allowed an average of three goals per game throughout those playoffs.
The Seattle Kraken still have two more seasons with his $5.9 million contract. You cannot keep that big money on your roster as a backup goalie while providing lackluster stats. So, what can this team do?
Option 1: Waivers
The Kraken could put Grubauer on waivers, just like Daniel Sprong. This gives all 31 NHL teams an opportunity to claim him, and in turn taking his entire contract off the hands of Seattle. The odds of someone claiming him mid-season are slim to none. This means he would clear waivers and be sent to Coachella Valley, in hopes of re-finding his game. If Francis does this, it means the GM would call up Ales Stezka, who has zero NHL experience. Should this happen, chances are it means that Francis has thrown in the towel on this season by cutting his losses. As much as I think Grubauer needs time to find his game again, I do not see Francis pulling this trigger just yet. Until he did, three hours after this article posted.
Option 2: Buyout
This option is not ideal for Seattle, as they would be stuck with a cap hit for a while. And if the Kraken were to buy out the rest of Grubauer’s remaining 2.5 year contract, they would end up with a cap hit of $1.683 million for four more seasons. The Kraken would pay two-thirds of the remaining salary – meaning they would pay Grubauer $6.73 million to no longer play in the PNW. This also does not solve the goaltending depth issue previously mentioned.
Option 3: Trade
Most teams would not want to take on a large contract for a struggling goaltender mid-season. However, an opportunity has just presented itself for the Seattle Kraken to give Grubauer a fresh start, while also finding his replacement. The Pittsburgh Penguins just placed goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers. Jarry is having struggles of his own this season with a .884 save percentage and 3.31 GAA- good for 34th in the NHL. The first instinctive comment is likely, “Why would Pittsburgh make this trade?”
Jarry has three years remaining on his contract, averaging $5.3 million per year. Meanwhile, Grubauer has two years left at $5.9 million per. This allows Pittsburgh the opportunity to clear a heavy contract one year sooner. This also allows the Kraken to get a goalie that is two years younger, $600k cheaper, and has ties to the West Coast. He is from British Columbia and played juniors with the Edmonton Oil Kings. And he also has connections to Jared McCann, having played together in Pittsburgh from 2019-2021.
History has shown in some cases that a trade to a new location sparks a fresh start and resurgence in one’s career. Most recently, the Washington Capitals and LA Kings made a one-for-one player trade with forward Pierre-Luc Dubois for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Dubois is having one of the best seasons of his career, netting 34 points in 44 games so far. Meanwhile, Kuemper is having himself a hot season, sporting a 0.923 save percentage and a GAA of 2.11 – putting him near the top of the NHL in goalie stats. The same possibilities could be in store with Jarry for Grubauer.
It is clear the time for Gru in the Deep has come and gone. He needs to find a new home to revive his career. I wish the “German Gentleman” nothing but the best – and I want to welcome Tristan Jarry to the Boys from the Puget Sound.
