Kraken Reassign Philipp Grubauer
Jan. 30: Grubauer cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The Kraken recalled Ales Stezka from Coachella Valley earlier today to serve as their new backup.
Jan. 29: The Kraken announced Wednesday that they’ve placed goaltender Philipp Grubauer on waivers. He will be reassigned to AHL Coachella Valley if he clears.
Grubauer is the second high-profile veteran in as many days to hit the waiver wire, joining the Blues’ Brandon Saad (who cleared them today). He’s also the second big-money netminder to land on waivers recently after the Penguins’ Tristan Jarry cleared them earlier this month.
Grubauer’s contract is strikingly similar to his counterpart in Pittsburgh’s, except he’s further along. Seattle signed the German to a six-year, $35.4MM commitment in free agency before their inaugural season, tabbing him to serve as their first starter coming off a Vezina Trophy nomination with the Avalanche. He’s now in the fourth year of that deal, which carries a $5.9MM cap hit, and has yet to even sniff an average campaign.
Not once in Grubauer’s nine NHL seasons before arriving in Seattle had he posted a save percentage under .900. But since arriving in the Pacific Northwest, he hasn’t touched .900 in a single season and has averaged a .890 mark with a 3.10 GAA in a Kraken jersey. He hasn’t started north of 40 games since his first season in Seattle and has a cumulative 54-76-12 record with four shutouts.
While Grubauer isn’t playing behind the elite Capitals and Avalanche teams he had support from earlier in his career, he’s actively been a drag on the Kraken’s record over the life of the deal. He’s allowed 57.7 goals above expected since 2021, per MoneyPuck. 17.5 of those conceded goals have come this season, on track to put him last in the league in the stat after doing so already in 2021-22.
His recent run of play makes it easy to see why now is the moment Seattle’s patience has run out. He’s 0-5-1 in his last six appearances and has allowed 22 goals on 127 shots during that timeframe, working out to a .827 SV%. When compared to now-undisputed starter Joey Daccord‘s numbers this season (17-12-2, .916 SV%, 2.45 GAA), there’s no questioning whether Grubauer’s struggles are individual or systemic.
There won’t be any takers on waivers as a result, and the likelihood of a trade is minimal – especially with his 10-team no-trade clause. All signs point to a buyout this summer, which would cost the Kraken $1.68MM against the cap for the next four seasons, per PuckPedia. For the rest of the season, Seattle can shave $1.15MM off Grubauer’s cap hit, so he’ll cost $4.75MM against the cap after being reassigned tomorrow.
Where Seattle goes for a new backup for Daccord in the interim remains to be seen. Next up on the depth chart is 28-year-old Ales Stezka, who’s been recalled a handful of times under emergency conditions since signing with the Kraken as an undrafted free agent in 2023 but has yet to make his NHL debut. The Czech goalie has a .902 SV% and 3.00 GAA with an 8-12-4 record in 24 appearances for Coachella Valley this season – not particularly inspiring numbers.
Instead, expect them to trade for a depth netminder from a team with more depth at the position to finish out the season. Third-stringers like the Islanders’ Marcus Högberg and Utah’s Jaxson Stauber have done well in limited action this season, although the former is still needed in New York with Semyon Varlamov on the shelf.
Long-term, Seattle’s set between the pipes with Daccord as the starter. The 28-year-old signed a five-year, $25MM extension in October to keep him off this summer’s free agent market.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Kraken Recall Cale Fleury, Ales Stezka
The Kraken announced Thursday that they’ve recalled defenseman Cale Fleury and netminder Ales Stezka from AHL Coachella Valley. Seattle didn’t have extra skaters on the active roster, so with three open spots, no corresponding moves are required.
They’ll also return to having two open roster spots later today after goaltender Philipp Grubauer assumedly clears waivers. Stezka’s recall is the corresponding move for that one, meaning the 28-year-old is set for his longest stint on an NHL roster yet as he gets the first crack at serving as starter Joey Daccord‘s new backup. He has yet to play in an NHL game but was recalled three times earlier this season under emergency conditions.
Until the Kraken makes an external addition or, in the unlikely event they decide to give Grubauer another shot in the NHL, Stezka is their new No. 2. They signed the Czech netminder as a free agent in 2023 out of the Extraliga’s HC Vítkovice, where he’d worked his way back onto NHL teams’ radars in 2022-23 with a sparkling 2.14 GAA and .924 SV% in 39 games that got him named the league’s best goaltender. The Plzen native was a fourth-round draft pick of the Wild in 2015 but never signed with the club.
Stezka had a good showing in Coachella Valley last year, posting a .914 SV% and 2.48 GAA with an 18-6-2 record in 27 games while backing up Seattle third-stringer Chris Driedger. He re-upped with the Kraken on a two-way deal in June to avoid hitting restricted free agency. He was promoted to No. 3 on the depth chart after Driedger left as a UFA to return to his old stomping grounds in the Panthers organization.
While Stezka has handled more of the workload in Coachella Valley this season than his backup, 2022 second-round pick Niklas Kokko, the latter has better numbers. Stezka’s .902 SV% and 3.00 GAA are acceptable but unimpressive, especially compared to last year’s numbers, and the Firebirds have struggled to an 8-12-4 record with him in net over 24 games. In 18 appearances, Kokko has a 2.46 GAA and .910 SV% with a 13-3-1 record.
Nonetheless, the Kraken will give the older, more professionally experienced option first dibs on a roster spot. Before moving to North America, Stezka posted a 2.45 GAA, .913 SV%, six shutouts, and a 49-42-0 record in 92 Czech Extraliga games.
Meanwhile, Fleury comes up to serve as an extra defenseman – a role the 26-year-old knows well. He was a healthy scratch for all but 12 NHL games in the 2022-23 campaign despite sticking on the roster for the entire season, and he’s since cleared waivers multiple times and been shuttled between Seattle and Coachella Valley frequently. Today marks his first recall since being sent to the Firebirds on Jan. 7. He skated in a pair of games for the Kraken early in the year but has otherwise spent all his time in 2024-25 in the minors, where he has 16 points (6 G, 10 A) and a team-high +14 rating in 28 games.
Three Kraken Listed As Game-Time Decisions
The Seattle Kraken could face major last-minute changes to their lineup ahead of Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Forwards Chandler Stephenson and Jared McCann, and defenseman Ryker Evans, have all been listed as game-time decisions per Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio network. Stephenson and McCann are out with upper-body injuries, while Evans’ injury is undisclosed.
Stephenson didn’t return for the third period of Seattle’s Thursday loss to the Washington Capitals. He skated at full speed through the end of the second and didn’t appear to suffer a clear injury. Even less is known about the absence of McCann and Evans, who both played through Thursday’s game but missed Friday morning’s practice. Neither player managed much in Seattle’s scoreless outing, though Evans did lead the team in “game score” per Cole Palmer.
The trio have stood as three of Seattle’s most utilized players all season long. McCann has scored 14 goals and a team-leading 36 points in 49 games, even despite ranking fourth in average ice-time among the team’s forwards. It’s actually Stephenson who stands as Seattle’s most-used centerman, averaging 19:35 in ice time each game. He has 25 assists and 33 points in 48 games to show for it. Stephenson is on pace for a career-high 43 assists, and 56 total points, through 82 games this season. Evans is averaging just north of 20 minutes of ice time each game of his own, finding a comfortable role on the team’s second-pair in his sophomore season. He has 16 assists and 21 points in 47 games, over double the nine points he scored in 36 games as a rookie last season.
Replacing the three players would be a whole-team effort, should they all sit. Seattle is currently only carrying one extra player on their roster – winger Tye Kartye, who hasn’t played since January 16th. He’ll be an easy fill-in in the face of injury, giving Kartye a chance to improve on his mere six points in 42 games this season – a number far below the 20 points he scored in 77 games last year.
But the Kraken will still need another forward and defender to ice a full lineup. Their best bets for the former will be Ben Meyers and top prospect Jani Nyman – the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ top two scorers. Meyers has 11 goals and 27 points in 32 games, while Nyman has 16 goals and 25 points in 39 games. Of the two, Meyers seems like the safer bet – having already played 73 games in the NHL. For help on defense, Seattle will likely turn towards one of Cale Fleury or Maxime Lajoie. Both have plenty of NHL experience, and their respective 16 and 20 points on the season are commendable. With roster space to spare, Seattle is likely to call at least one of these options up in advance of Saturday’s game, in the event that the majority of their game-time decisions are forced to sit.
Seattle Kraken Reassign Gustav Olofsson In Paper Transaction
- Finishing off the list of cap-related transactions is the Seattle Kraken who have reassigned defenseman Gustav Olofsson to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds (per a team announcement). Oloffson has been in an unenviable position with the Kraken this season having been recalled on three separate occasions but has been healthy scratched for every available opportunity.
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Gourde Progressing In Injury Recovery But Hasn't Started Skating
- Kraken center Yanni Gourde has yet to progress to on-ice work as he continues to battle a lower-body injury, head coach Dan Bylsma told reporters including Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). However, that shouldn’t be construed as a lack of progression as Bylsma said Gourde’s recovery is still moving along. Gourde has been battling this injury off and on this season and it appears they’ll give him ample time for it to try to heal once and for all.
Could Gourde Be Worth A First-Round Pick?
- Given the number of teams believed to be looking for center help, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes that the Kraken could be able to receive a first-round pick for pending UFA middleman Yanni Gourde. It has been a fairly quiet year for the 33-year-old who has six goals and ten assists in 35 games thus far. However, as someone who can kill penalties, play an important defensive role, play the wing if needed, and has a track record of some playoff success, Gourde is sure to receive significant interest. However, Seattle will almost certainly have to pay down the contract, one that carries a $5.167MM price tag that few contenders can afford.
Brandon Tanev Misses Game Due To Illness
Nick Barden of The Hockey News is reporting that free agent defenseman John Klingberg is close to deciding on which team he will sign with for the remainder of the season. Klingberg hasn’t played an NHL game since November 2023 and is attempting to come back after having hip resurfacing surgery. He is hoping to latch on with a contender for the rest of this season. His decision is expected in the next 2-3 days, and Klingberg’s former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, are reportedly still in the mix to sign the 32-year-old, as are a few other teams.
It was just a few years ago that Klingberg was considered a top-pairing offensive defenseman, however, those days are over, but if he is healthy Klingberg could certainly give a boost to a playoff team without costing an asset other than cap space. Through 633 NHL games, Klingberg has racked up 81 goals and 331 assists while playing with four different teams.
In other morning notes:
- The Seattle Kraken announced last night that forward Brandon Tanev would miss their game with an apparent illness. Tye Kartye took Tanev’s spot in the lineup Thursday against Winnipeg and played just 7:12. The 33-year-old Tanev last dressed on Tuesday against Pittsburgh and played 13:14 in that game. The Kraken are back in action tomorrow night against Los Angeles and it seems likely they will have an update on Tanev before the puck drop. The Toronto, Ontario native has eight goals and seven assists in 44 games this season.
- Colorado Avalanche forward Casey Mittelstadt has gone through a miserable slump this season and has now found himself demoted from the second-line center role and could find himself on the trade block soon (as per Avalanche reporter Adrian Deter). Mikko Rantanen took his spot in last night’s game against Edmonton, with Mittelstadt skating just 14:54 and playing on the third line. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar has reportedly become unhappy with Mittelstadt’s play, after the 26-year-old looked like a true second-line center to start the season, posting 13 points in his first ten games. However, since that hot start, Mittelstadt has just 13 points in his last 36 games.
Kraken Listening To Offers On Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky
After knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and taking the Dallas Stars to Game Seven in Round Two of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s been a downhill ride for the Seattle Kraken. The team finished 17 points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference last season and is currently nine points back through the halfway point this year.
That said, it comes with little surprise that in the latest episode of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s ’32 Thoughts’ podcast, he reported the Kraken are expanding their horizons beyond just selling away their pending unrestricted free agents. Friedman specifically notes Oliver Bjorkstrand and André Burakovsky as available trade candidates.
Trading either player won’t be simple, but it would help expand the prospect pool for an organization that’s had little time to do so, as Friedman notes. Bjorkstrand and Burakovsky are signed through the 2025-26 season, with an additional year for the latter, and their contracts include 10-team modified no-trade clauses.
Bjorkstrand should have the most value of the two given that he’s on pace for his third-straight 20-goal season in Seattle. He’s been one of the most consistent middle-six players for the Kraken over that stretch scoring 53 goals and 132 points in 206 games averaging 15:49 of ice time per game. He’s a strong possession player with a relatively affordable $5.4MM salary who can help on most team’s second power-play unit if not their first.
Burakovsky is on a much different trajectory. After scoring 22 goals and 61 points en route to a Stanley Cup ring in 2021-22 with the Colorado Avalanche, Burakovksy signed a five-year, $27.5MM contract with Seattle to give the team much-needed scoring.
He missed 66 games due to injury in the first two years of the deal and has missed three this season. The Klagenfurt, Austria native had decent production in limited action in the first year of the contract with 13 goals and 39 points in 49 games but has struggled since.
Since the first game of the 2023-24 NHL season, Burakovsky has scored 11 goals and 32 points in the following 90 regular season contests making his $5.4MM salary somewhat of a sunk cost. It’s reasonable the Kraken want to move on from Burakovsky and his contract but they shouldn’t expect to get much in return.
Seattle may listen to other players signed beyond this season should they receive adequate returns for Bjorkstrand and/or Burakovsky. Players such as Jamie Oleksiak, Jaden Schwartz, and Jared McCann could all become expendable with the latter likely having relatively high trade value across the league.
Kraken’s Daniel Sprong Clears Waivers
Jan. 9: Sprong has cleared waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He must be assigned to Coachella Valley within 30 days before needing to clear waivers again.
Jan. 8: The Kraken placed winger Daniel Sprong on waivers Tuesday, intending to assign him to AHL Coachella Valley, according to a team announcement.
Seattle picked up Sprong, 27, in a trade with the Canucks in November in exchange for future considerations. The Kraken were hoping to get the kind of production out of Sprong they got two years ago when he posted a career-best 21 goals and 46 points in only 66 appearances, but things haven’t gone to plan.
Sprong’s tumultuous season thus far comes after a turbulent summer during which, despite recording 43 points in 76 games for the Red Wings last season, Detroit opted not to qualify him and let him become an unrestricted free agent. The Amsterdam native unexpectedly had to wait nearly three weeks to land a deal, eventually signing a one-year, $975K commitment with the Canucks.
Most expected Vancouver to have Sprong factor in as a complementary top-nine piece, potentially even on Elias Pettersson‘s wing, but that experiment didn’t last very long. He also bounced around lines with Pius Suter and Aatu Räty down the middle, averaging 11:39 per game and recording three points until the Canucks decided to cut bait after just nine games and traded him back to Seattle.
Sprong likely desired the move – he would have gotten a bit more playing time in a familiar environment where he’s had success before. He’s barely been utilized by new head coach Dan Bylsma, though, sitting in the press box for most of his second stint in the Emerald City. He’s logged only 10 appearances since the trade, including just four since the beginning of December, posting a goal and an assist with a plus-one rating.
Playing time became more scarce for Sprong last month when the Kraken acquired winger Kaapo Kakko from the Rangers. He’s sat in the press box for four straight now and hasn’t landed a job ahead of the newcomer or depth players like Tye Kartye. His inability to play down the middle has left him on the outside looking in, even with Yanni Gourde on injured reserve.
This season may not be pretty for Sprong, with five points through a combined 19 games, but teams should be willing to take a flyer based on his recent history of depth scoring. Despite averaging fewer than 12 minutes per game across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, he managed 39 goals and 89 points in 142 games for Seattle and Detroit – good for 0.63 per game.
Kraken Recall John Hayden
The Kraken recalled right-winger John Hayden from AHL Coachella Valley on Thursday, the team said in an announcement.
Hayden, 29, comes up in anticipation of Daniel Sprong coming off the active roster later today. Seattle placed Sprong on waivers yesterday, so the Dutch winger will likely be unavailable for tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets, either by virtue of being claimed by another team or being reassigned to Coachella Valley.
It’s the second recall of the season for Hayden, who cleared waivers at the end of training camp. The pot-stirring winger made his season debut against the Avalanche on Nov. 5, recording a minor penalty and four hits in 8:54 of ice time.
Hayden is in his third season in the Kraken organization, but he’s appeared in only 10 NHL games during that time. He’s spent most of his time in Coachella Valley, where the Chicago native serves as an alternate captain and has 18 points in 30 games this season.
He won’t provide nearly as much offensive upside as Sprong in a depth role, but he does know the ropes. Initially a third-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2013, Hayden has 250 NHL games under his belt with Chicago and Seattle as well as the Sabres, Devils, and Coyotes.
Hayden is not expected to suit up in tonight’s contest. He’ll likely sit in the press box while Tye Kartye and Brandon Tanev flank the fourth line, centered by Mitchell Stephens.
The Kraken have a full active roster for now but will have an open spot when Sprong is removed in a couple of hours. Hayden carries a league-minimum cap hit of $775K on a one-way deal for this season and will have the opportunity to test unrestricted free agency this summer.