The Seattle Kraken may be headed for a Philipp Grubauer question in 2026-27, even if the issue hasn’t fully surfaced yet.
The most obvious concern is simple: can the German goalie do again what he did in 2025-26? After four mostly uneven regular seasons in Seattle, Grubauer finally looked like the player the Kraken thought they were getting when they signed him to a six-year, $35 million deal in 2021.
The early returns on that contract were shaky. In his first four Kraken seasons, Grubauer’s save percentages sat at .889, .895, .899 and .875, while league average during those years was .907, .904, .903 and .900. His goals-against averages in those same seasons were 3.16, 2.85, 2.85 and 3.49, compared with league marks of 2.92, 2.97, 2.91 and 2.81.
It wasn’t all on him, of course. Grubauer took aim at former coach Dan Bylsma’s aggressive style in 2024-25, saying this spring, “Really, really hard,” he said this spring looking backwards a year.
“Probably one of the hardest in my career. There was like a breakaway (against Seattle) each period.
I don’t know what system we played, if there was a system.”
Even so, he wasn’t able to clean up the mess when skaters made mistakes. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion with the Capitals even spent time with AHL Coachella Valley before working his way back.
“It’s part of being a professional, going down there, working hard, helping the young kids, coming back up here, training hard in the summer and basically leaving it all on the table and proving people wrong.”
Then came the rebound. In 2025-26, Grubauer turned in by far the best regular season of his Kraken tenure, finishing with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage, both well above league average. He credited the stint in the minors with helping reshape his game.
“Pretty happy with the improvement and the steps I’ve made. I think going down helped me to be a better goalie, helped me to read situations a little bit different and adjust my game.”
The Kraken also benefited from a familiar voice. Colin Zulianello, the goalie coach who worked with Grubauer in Coachella Valley, was promoted to Seattle last season.
Grubauer also pointed to Lane Lambert’s tighter defensive setup as part of the turnaround. “You look at last year compared to this year, it’s been night and day.
I can only think of a handful of games where we went into the last period and we didn’t have a chance. Five guys are working back.
It allows us to take a step back and read the game a little bit different.”
That gives Seattle reason to believe Grubauer can hold onto the form he rediscovered. But there’s still the age factor hanging over it all: he turns 35 in November, and the Kraken still need proof that the first four seasons were the outlier, not the comeback.
In Other News...
Grubauer Could Leave The Kraken With A Tough Goalie Decision
Philipp Grubauer steadied the Krakens crease last season and carried that form into the playoffs, a welcome shift after a year in which he was coming off a strong 2022-23 campaign and had reclaimed the role as Seattles primary goaltender. For a team that has spent much of its short history trying to find the right answers in net, Grubauers play has given the Kraken something they can trust in the moment.
The problem is that trust can complicate the future. Grubauer is on an expiring contract and older than Joey Daccord, which leaves Seattle with a goalie picture that could get crowded if Grubauer keeps performing at a high level. The Kraken may eventually have to decide whether to hold onto their veteran starter, reshape the workload around Daccord, or explore a trade while Grubauer still has value on the market. [Read more 🡒]