Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord sat out of the team’s Sunday game against New York due to illness. Head coach Dan Bylsma told media, including Seattle broadcaster Piper Shaw, that Daccord is specifically struggling to keep food down and will be available as soon as he feels better. Daccord’s absence sets up Philipp Grubauer for a second consecutive start. Grubauer made 33 saves on 36 shots in Seattle’s Friday loss to New Jersey.
Daccord has been a noticeable difference-maker for Seattle when healthy. He’s played in 19 of the team’s 28 games this season, setting 12 wins and a .913 save percentage. Daccord ranks sixth in the NHL in both stats. He’s continuing to stamp his spot as an everyday starter, building on to this dazzling 2023-24 campaign. Daccord posted a .916 save percentage – ninth-best in the league – through 50 games last year, thriving in what was his first year as an NHL starter. He’s had a winding career up to this point, serving three seasons in the crowded mix of Ottawa Senators’ goaltenders prior to his selection in the 2021 Expansion Draft. He excelled with the change of scenery, posting a .925 in 34 AHL games in his first year in the Kraken organization and serving as Seattle’s top goalie call-up. He followed that year with a .918 in 38 games for Coachella Valley, serving as the brick wall behind a team that ultimately lost the Calder Cup finals in overtime of game seven. Still, the playoff run was enough to stamp Daccord’s chance at an NHL role, and he hasn’t looked back since. That momentum will slot Daccord right back into the starting role once he’s back to full health.
Other notes out of Seattle:
- Seattle has signed Michael Matyas to an amateur try-out agreement in response to Daccord’s absence. He’ll be tasked with backing up Grubauer. Matyas hasn’t formally played since the 2013-14 season, when he served as the third-string goaltender at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The Calgary-native played three years, and 14 games, with the Seawolves – recording three wins and a .870 save percentage. He had a three-year juniors career in the Alberta Junior Hockey League before moving to college, where he set a .907 save percentage across 106 games. Matyas has spent the 11 years since his college days working towards a financial career in New York City.
- In more positive news, forward Yanni Gourde returned to the Seattle lineup on Sunday, after missing the team’s Friday game with an undisclosed injury. Gourde lined up next to Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz, per Mike Benton of the Seattle Kraken Audio Network. Gourde has scored four goals and 12 points in 27 games this season, and ranks fourth among Kraken forwards with 39 hits. He’s rotated through the middle-six and averaged 15:29 in ice time.
Bylsma needs more help behind the bench
Translation: signing a 33-year-old who hasn’t played in a decade and wasn’t much good when he did as an EBUG = Seattle’s penalty for being stupid and running the cap right to the limits, to the point of carrying two fewer on the roster. Ales Stezka is having a decent season for the Firebirds, but they can’t touch him.
Not sure what to complain about here, sounds like Daccord came down with a last minute case of food poisoning. That’s where you have to rely on the EBUG. Maybe the NHL should mandate each team carry their own EBUG? A cheap and easy solution would be where teams hire young ex-goalies to work in the front office, travel with the team, help out on drills and can be EBUG.
It has nothing to do with the cap. Daccord woke up sick and the game was at 1:00. Because Eberle is on LTIR they could have called up Stezka if only he were not on the other side of the country.
It really undermines your criticisms when it’s obvious you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Then perhaps you can explain why, with all that cap space, Seattle was still carrying two players under the limit.
It really undermines your criticisms when it’s obvious you didn’t look it up.
For the same reason they sent Stevens down for a day. They’re not going to have guys from Coachella sitting around needlessly burning waiver exemption time. They’re also not going to carry a third goalie.
They have 13 forwards, 7 defenseman and 2 goalies… that’s ONE player under the limit. I guess when you look it up it helps if you can count.
They don’t need one more body watching from the press box and the goalie situation had noting to do with what you’re talking about.
Again, it really undermines your criticism when it’s obvious you don’t know what you’re talking about AND you can’t count.