Kraken Making Interesting Decision To Not Execute A Buyout

The Seattle Kraken should be a team executing a buyout this summer, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Goalie Philipp Grubauer hasn’t come close to living up to his end of the contract he signed with the Kraken when they became an expansion team.

It was reported that Kraken GM Jason Botterill confirmed that the team isn’t buying out their veteran goaltender after another poor season. He said that the team will work with him and try to improve the team in front of him and “we believe that Philipp can bounce back from the situation.”

Buying out the final two years of Grubauer would give the Kraken a reduced cap hit for the next two seasons, but extend it over four years instead. Joey Daccord is firmly in the starter’s net for Seattle now and into the future, especially with his new contract at five years, $5 million AAV.

Grubauer has a cap hit of $5.9 million AAV and has failed to post a SV% over .900 in the four years he’s been with the team. His best statistical season with the Kraken came in 2022-23 when he posted a 2.85 GAA, .895 SV%, 17-14-4 record, and 22 quality starts for a quality start % (QS%) of .611. Unfortunately, that season also came with no shutouts and the most really bad starts in his career with 11, including a -9.0 goals saved above average.

Grubauer’s workload dropped to just 26 starts this season and he posted a record of 8-17-1 with a 3.49 GAA, .875 SV%, and no shutouts. The 33-year-old had just a .385 QS% and a -16.8 GSAA. This season rivaled his first in Seattle as the worst of his career.

While the team wasn’t good, it isn’t nearly all on them as Daccord was able to post a 27-23-5 record with a 2.75 GAA, .906 SV%, two shutouts, a 6.18 QS%, and 9.1 GSAA. With the pieces the Kraken brought in and how they are trying to get better quickly, if Grubauer hasn’t been able to bounce back over four seasons, including one where the team made the playoffs, I don’t think he will be able to at this point. He is a very expensive backup and I expect a buyout to come ahead of the final year of his contract next summer.