Kraken place Philipp Grubauer on waivers

The Seattle Kraken have announced that they have placed goaltender Philipp Grubauer on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Grubauer has put together a 5-15-1 record through 21 games this season. Evolving-Hockey has his GSAx at -14.5 – the worst in the NHL. Grubauer has a $5.9M cap hit through till 2027.

Since Arriving in Seattle, Grubauer has put together a 54-76-12 record a 3.10 goals against average and a .890 save percentage.

Grubauer came off an exceptional season during the 2020-21 campaign with the Colorado Avalanche where he had a 30-9-1 record with seven shutouts and a .922 save percentage. He finished third in Vezina Trophy voting that season. Bigger things were expected from the German netminder, especially after signing a six-year deal worth $5.9 million per season.

The 33-year-old netminder has had injury troubles ever since he left the Washington Capitals. The majority of his injuries have been lower body, including to his groin. He missed a couple of games during the 2023-24 campaign and was out for almost a month early on in the 2022-23 campaign.

If Grubauer clears, he will head to Coachella Valley and play in the American Hockey League for the first time since 2014-15 when Grubauer saw action with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears.