$35.4 Million Goaltender's Fate Confirmed After Over a Month in the AHL
Following over a month of playing in the AHL, $35.4 million Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer has officially had his fate decided.
Phillip Grubauer has had a long NHL career, spanning 163 games in 13 years, with the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, and now Seattle.
Despite a Stanley Cup win and massive $35.4 million contract with the Kraken, his underperformance earlier this season saw him sent back to the AHL for the first time in a decade.
While this may seem drastic for a player with such a high cap, the deficits are staggering: dropping in NHL career save percent from .908 to .866, and from 2.66 to 3.83 in goals-against-average.
By having the 33-year-old veteran goaltender play for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Seattle coach Dan Bylsma hoped he would get his game back.
"Going to CV, we'll give him some practice time, give him some game time, to try to get his game back to where we all know and believe it can be."
The Firebirds have won five of their seven games with Grubauer, but his .893 save percentage at the AHL level left fans concerned that he may not be on ice for his bobblehead night during their Tuesday game against the Minnesota Wild.
Luckily for them, the Seattle Kraken have officially recalled him from the AHL, reassigning Nikke Kokko to Coachella in his place.
It is clear that Seattle wanted Grubauer on the ice for his special night, and he will likely do the best he can to put on a good show for his fans at Climate Pledge Arena.
What remains unclear, for now, is if his time in the AHL was enough for him to get his mojo back.
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Will Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer's game be better after his stint in the AHL? | ||
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