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What Should The Kraken Do With Philipp Grubauer?

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In their inaugural season, the Seattle Kraken believed they had found their franchise goalie for the foreseeable future by signing Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4MM contract. Grubauer was coming off an impressive season with the Colorado Avalanche, managing a 30-9-1 record in 40 games with a .922 SV%, finishing third place in Vezina Trophy voting.

Unfortunately, the Kraken have not seen a positive return on their significant investment in goaltending. In his first season with the team, Grubauer’s play dropped dramatically, finishing with an 18-31-5 record, a .889 SV%, 3.16 GAA, and -26.4 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA), the latter being the lowest in the league by a considerable margin.

In large part due to the surprising top-level play from Martin Jones a year later, the Kraken qualified for the postseason in 2022-23. Although Grubauer had another disappointing regular season, he looked inspired throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, especially against his former team. Grubauer finished the postseason with a 7-7-0 record with a .903 SV%, eliminating his former employer and the defending Stanley Cup champions in a hotly contested opening round matchup.

Despite having a resurgence in the 2023 postseason, Grubauer has fallen back to his old ways in the meantime, ultimately ceding the starting netminder position in Seattle to Joey Daccord. Since losing to the Dallas Stars in the second round of that playoff run, Grubauer has earned a 22-33-3 record in 60 starts with a .889 SV%. His play over the last two seasons has brought his overall record with the Kraken to a 57-78-12 record (36.5% winning percentage) in 156 games with a .890 SV%, 3.07 GAA, and -56.2 GSAA.

Quite obviously, that wasn’t what Seattle was expecting when they made such a large investment in Grubauer’s services, and he has little chance of recouping the starting position from Daccord anytime soon. The talent gap was so significant between the two netminders that Grubauer had been mentioned as a likely buyout candidate heading into the current offseason.

Ultimately, the Kraken decided against buying out Grubauer during their initial opportunity at the start of the offseason and reiterated this choice after their conditional buy-out window, following the signing of Kaapo Kakko to a three-year contract in late July. Seattle did sign veteran Matt Murray to a one-year, $1MM contract on the opening day of free agency, though he’s likely penciled in for AHL duty with Grubauer still in the system.

Since it’s well known he’s a sunk cost for the remaining term on his contract, the Kraken are effectively left with two choices. They could buy him out next offseason, which would spread out 66.6% of his remaining one-year and $5.9MM over the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons, or seek a trade partner. It’s important to note that Grubauer has a 10-team no-trade list in his contract.

Depending on how desperate each team becomes next season, the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets all make sense to some degree for Grubauer’s services. Even if he has a slight increase in his production, Seattle could be positioned to swap overvalued goaltending deals with the Oilers (Stuart Skinner), Penguins (Tristan Jarry), and Blue Jackets (Elvis Merzlikins).

At this point, the Kraken must provide additional value in a potential deal for the previously mentioned goaltenders. There is no doubt that Grubauer has negative value for the team, and the Kraken may be better off waiting another year to buy out the remaining year of his contract next summer when it is more financially advantageous.

Stars’ Brandon Gorzynski Commits To Arizona State University

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Brandon Gorzynski, the recent draft pick of the Dallas Stars, announced his collegiate commitment on Instagram. Starting in the 2026-27 NCAA season, Gorzynski will continue his development at Arizona State University.

Gorzynski was selected 126th overall by the Stars in the 2025 NHL Draft. Despite being drafted in the fourth round, he was Dallas’ second-highest selection in this summer’s draft, given how much draft capital they’ve traded over the past few years in their competitive window.

The native of Scottsdale, AZ, played for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen last year and will return to the team for the 2025-26 season. As one of the youngest players on the roster, he finished sixth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 42 points in 68 games, with a +27 rating. He also produced well in the WHL playoffs, scoring four goals and eight points in 11 postseason contests.

Despite being on a team that has only appeared in the National Tournament once (2019), Gorzynski will join one of the most competitive collegiate conferences in the sport. The Sun Devils have played in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) since the start of last season. It’s home to the two most recent Frozen Four champions, the University of Denver Pioneers and the Western Michigan University Broncos.

In their first season outside of being an independent team, Arizona State finished second in the conference with a 14-9-1-2-5 record in 24 games, finishing 10 points back of the Broncos. In the conference tournament, despite earning an opening game win against the University of Minnesota Duluth, they were dispatched in the next game by the Pioneers.

Snapshots: Davies, Ritchie, Reddekopp

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On the second day of free agency, along with signing defenseman Kaedan Korczak to a four-year contract, we had reported that the Vegas Golden Knights had also signed defenseman Jeremy Davies to a two-year deal. As it turns out, the staff at PuckPedia has informed us that Davies’ two-year contract is with the Golden Knights AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, which is an AHL contract.

It makes sense, given that Davies has not played in an NHL contest since the 2022-23 season. Even though Davies only appeared in one game for the Buffalo Sabres, he spent most of his time with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Since his last NHL game, Davies has excelled as a defenseman in the AHL. In his last year with the AHL Americans during the 2023-24 season, he scored 12 goals and 35 points in 66 games. Last season, while playing for the Belleville Senators, the AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators, he scored 11 goals and recorded a total of 48 points in 72 games. He finished the season with a +9 rating, which placed him first on the team in scoring among defensemen, with a margin of 25 points ahead of the next player. For context, the Silver Knights were led in defensemen scoring by Calen Addison and Robert Hagg, each of which have moved on this summer.

Other snapshots:

  • A few days ago, it was reported that New York Islanders’ prospect Calum Ritchie had every intention of making the Islanders’ opening night roster. In a new report from Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, we now know that he’ll be given every opportunity to do so. Citing Jeff Marek on his podcast, The Sheet, Rosner shared a quote from New York’s General Manager, Mathieu Darche, saying, If Calum comes to training camp and he outplays everyone, I’ll make room for him on the roster.”
  • In a new report out of Toledo, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye have announced that Chaz Reddekopp will stay with the team as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 season, while also informally confirming his retirement. Reddekopp was selected 187th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, largely appearing in the ECHL throughout his professional playing career. He finished with 10 goals and 52 points in 201 ECHL contests, and one goal and 13 points in 92 AHL appearances.

Flames, Connor Zary Remain Apart In Contract Talks

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The Flames and RFA forward Connor Zary still have a roughly $1MM gap to bridge as they continue talks on a new contract, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports.

While Calgary prefers a three-year deal and Zary is open to that term, the Flames are holding firm in the $3MM-$3.5MM range annually, Di Marco writes. Zary’s ask on a three-year pact is around $4.5MM annually.

Zary does have first-round pedigree (No. 24 overall in 2020) to fall back on, but his ask on a multi-year deal likely checks in above market value. He’ll be 24 in September and only emerged as a full-time NHL option in the 2023-24 campaign and missed nearly 30 games last season due to injury.

When healthy, the 6’0″ forward has comfortably shouldered top-nine minutes, primarily on the wing, and has averaged 19 goals and 43 points per 82 games while seeing 15:39 of action per night. His point per game pace decreased from 0.54 in his rookie season to 0.50 in 2024-25, however. He finished the year with a 13-14–27 line in 54 contests.

That platform year heavily favors Calgary’s ask. AFP Analytics’ projection at the beginning of the summer for a short-term deal was three years at around $3.42MM per season, right in the ballpark of the Flames’ offer. As such, it’s hard to envision general manager Craig Conroy moving the goalposts much further than they’re currently set.

Zary was not eligible for salary arbitration this summer. Since his age upon signing his first NHL contract was 18, he requires four years of experience with at least 10 NHL games played. That means he won’t be eligible for arbitration next offseason if he signs a one-year deal, either. He’d need at least a two-year contract to make him arbitration-eligible upon expiry, and a three-year deal would leave him just one year away from UFA eligibility.

Minor Signings: Russell, Berdin, Welsh

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The ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates have signed forward Mitchell Russell for the 2025-26 campaign, per a team announcement.

Russell, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Sharks in 2022 from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion. Injuries limited him out of the gate, making just two appearances for the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder in his first professional season.

The 6’0″, 194-lb winger didn’t see NHL ice over the duration of his three-year, entry-level contract. He was non-tendered in June, making him an unrestricted free agent after he scored two goals in 12 games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and a 19-25–44 scoring line in 81 games for Wichita over his brief pro career.

He’ll now head to Savannah, the second-tier affiliate of the Panthers, to further his pro career. The team only has eight players under contract for 2025-26, including Russell, and will no doubt have most of their roster filled out by loans from their AHL parent, the Charlotte Checkers.

More minor moves from around the sport:

  • Former Jets goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin is on the move in his native Russia, with the KHL announcing he’s signed a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan. Berdin, who became a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2023, was limited to just 11 appearances last season with Avangard Omsk. He was spectacular when available, though, recording a .929 SV%, 1.87 GAA, and a 7-1-2 record. If the 27-year-old puts up a season like that for Ak Bars, he should put himself in contention for an NHL contract next summer.
  • Journeyman defenseman Nicholas Welsh has signed with the Manchester Storm of the EIHL, the United Kingdom’s highest level of competition. Welsh, 28, was a dynamic threat in the QMJHL and racked up 181 points in 329 junior games for Shawinigan and Moncton but only sniffed a pro career in North America, recording three points in 17 games for the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester in 2020-21. He’s since made stops in Slovakia, Germany, Finland, and Austria. He ended last season with Liiga’s KooKoo, where he had four points in 14 combined regular-season and playoff games.

Devils, Luke Hughes Not Interested In Bridge Deal

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Luke Hughes and the Devils have remained in contract talks throughout the offseason, a luxury they have thanks to the star defender carrying 10.2(c) status that makes him ineligible for an offer sheet. While they remain without a pact, they’re at least aligned on the length of a contract. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox said on yesterday’s Halford & Brough In The Morning radio show on Sportsnet 650 that both sides have focused on a long-term deal, likely a seven-year contract.

That’s in line with the approach New Jersey has taken with their other young stars. They gave forward fixtures Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes seven and eight-year deals, respectively, upon expiry of their entry-level contracts. The younger Hughes, now in the same position, should easily be able to command more than Jack’s $8MM AAV if the Devils are willing to go there.

Evidently, they aren’t. The only two players making more than Jack Hughes on the Devils’ roster were external additions – UFA splash Dougie Hamilton (who was signed before Jack signed his extension) and winger Timo Meier, who was extended shortly after New Jersey paid a steep price to acquire him from the Sharks. There’s also the matter of the Devils’ cap space. They only have $6.1MM to spend, per PuckPedia, although that figure is artificially low. That assumes a full 23-player roster – i.e., they’d naturally open up a bit of space by clearing a spot for Luke – and no LTIR placement for defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic ($4MM cap hit) out of the gate. He had knee surgery in May and won’t be ready for camp.

The Devils thus likely have the short-term flexibility to sign Luke to a long-term deal in that $8MM range, but clearing space once Kovacevic is ready to return might be an issue. There are a few risks with going long-term with Hughes now – for one, he’s still so young that a seven-year deal would make him a UFA at his expected peak following his age-28 season, but those are risks both sides appear comfortable taking. The remainder of their talks, as such, will be purely centered around annual compensation.

There are some candidates for cap-clearing moves, which have already been speculated about at length this summer. Hamilton’s $9MM AAV likely exceeds his market value at this stage of his career, while winger Ondrej Palat’s $6MM price tag is a significant drag after scoring just 28 points in 77 games last season. With both boasting no-movement clauses, though, moving on from either of them is no guarantee.

There are still weeks left of runway for the Devils and Hughes to continue ironing out a deal before camp. Obviously, being same-minded on the rough structure and length of the deal is one fewer hurdle they have to jump over before a deal gets registered.

Kyle Clifford Announces Retirement

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Longtime NHL winger Kyle Clifford told John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor last night that he’s retiring from his playing career.

Clifford, now 34, was a relatively notable prospect when the 6’2″ enforcer burst onto the scene. He was a second-round pick in 2009 – an early one at that – out of the OHL’s Barrie Colts, and showed legitimate offensive promise in his post-draft year when he clicked at nearly a point per game. Instead of returning to Barrie for a fourth and final junior season, he cracked L.A.’s roster out of camp in 2010, kicking off his pro career.

The Kings drafted Clifford with the knowledge that he’d rarely be anything more than a fourth-line agitator, but they hoped he had some more offensive tools in his skillset than other comparable players. That projection largely turned out to be true. He immediately became a fixture in the Kings’ lineup upon turning pro, never spending too long as a healthy scratch. He played a part in both of the Kings’ Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014 – including recording an assist on Alec Martinez’s overtime winner to seal the second one.

Clifford spent nearly a decade in the Kings’ organization, averaging 10:17 of ice time per game. His best season came in a Kings uniform in 2018-19, when he broke the 10-goal and 20-point marks for the first and only time with an 11-10–21 scoring line in 72 appearances. He recorded 60 goals, 69 assists, 129 points, and 819 PIMs in 660 games for L.A., ranking 11th and 12th in franchise history in the latter two numbers, respectively.

His time in SoCal came to an end in 2020. He was sent to the Maple Leafs in the Jack Campbell/Trevor Moore deal and recorded three points and 23 PIMs in 16 games for them before reaching free agency in the fall amid the pandemic. He landed a two-year deal with the Blues worth $1MM per season, but he was deployed more as a 13th/14th forward and only made 52 appearances for them before getting traded back to Toronto for future considerations early in the 2021-22 campaign.

That essentially marked the end of his NHL career. He did play 25 games for the Leafs over the next two years, but ended up being waived and assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies for most of his tenure, his first full-time minor-league assignment. Clifford remained under NHL contract with Toronto through 2023-24 but spent last season with the Marlies on an AHL contract. He served as an alternate captain for them for the past two years and racked up 59 points and 256 PIMs in 125 games for them since debuting in 2022.

Clifford, while hanging up his skates, isn’t leaving the game. He’s staying in the Leafs organization in their player development department, Hoven relays. He retires with 66 goals, 78 assists, and 144 points in 753 career games, including 905 PIMs and 1,617 hits. All of us at PHR congratulate Clifford on his lengthy career and wish him well as he begins his time in NHL front offices.

Snapshots: Elias Pettersson, Goalie Rankings, Contract Efficiency

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After a less-than-stellar season last year, Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson is out for “revenge” this upcoming season. Speaking with NHL.com’s Peter Ekholm, Pettersson appears to be on a mission after producing just 15 goals and 45 points last season.

“I know what I’m capable of. Actually, I haven’t thought about it, but for myself it’s revenge. I’m not happy with last season,” he said.

Pettersson, 26, produced nearly half as many points as he did in the 2023–24 season, when he recorded 34 goals and 89 points. After posting three consecutive 30-goal seasons, Pettersson fought through injuries last year, which resulted in him appearing in just 65 games. To address this, Pettersson said he has added muscle to his listed 176-pound frame, noting that the added strength will not only help keep him healthy but also make him faster.

“It’s always about building your base strength, to get quicker on the ice. To gain a few pounds, get stronger in general, that’s always the goal. But for me it’s a bonus to gain a few pounds,” he said.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • As a part of a summer Talent Tiers series, TSN’s Travis Yost examined the league’s goaltending depth charts and ranked all 32 teams into five categories, from Tier 1 through Tier 5. Only three teams were included in Yost’s top tier: the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders were added to the top tier thanks to the combination of veterans Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, while the division rival Rangers made it thanks to former Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin and veteran backup Jonathan Quick. For Winnipeg, the play of Connor Hellebuyck — and his three Vezina Trophies — is enough to lift the team into Tier 1. On the other hand, four teams were placed in Yost’s Tier 5: the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
  • The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn recently took a look at every player’s market value over the remainder of their contracts to determine which team is spending money the most efficiently. In his view, three teams earned an “A+” rating in this category: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche. Notably, the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers rank fourth in Luszczyszyn’s latest rankings, while the Edmonton Oilers dropped from second last year to eighth this season. On the flip side of the coin, three teams achieved a league-low “D+” rating: the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, and Seattle Kraken.

West Notes: Isogai, Popovic, Nelson

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Earlier today, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, the Ontario Reign, announced a two-year AHL contract for an up-and-coming name from Canada’s Western Hockey League. The Reign shared that they’ve signed forward Kenta Isogai. No financial details were released.

The 20-year-old native of Nagano, Japan, recently completed his second season in the WHL. Though he started his WHL career with the Wenatchee Wild for the 2023-24 season, he was acquired by the Victoria Royals for the end of the season. He excelled at the WHL level, scoring 63 goals and 166 points in 123 games, achieving a +49 rating, along with 10 goals and 25 points in 16 postseason contests.

Given that he was also named to the WHL’s First All-Star Team last year, it’s a little surprising that Isogai has gone undrafted over the past few years. He’s a little undersized, but not to a serious degree, and should be given every opportunity to succeed in AHL Ontario.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • According to a team announcement, the Colorado Avalanche have hired Mark Popovic as their new skills coach. It’ll be Popovic’s first formal coaching position at the NHL level, although he’s been working as an informal consultant for the Avalanche for the past few years. He’s better known for his playing career at the AHL level, where he scored 36 goals and 134 points in 359 games from 2002 to 2007. He played under 100 games in the NHL with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Atlanta Thrashers.
  • The ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, announced today that they’ve signed forward Jaxon Nelson to an ECHL contract for the 2025-26 season. The former captain of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers had been playing for the AHL’s Providence Bruins the past few years, to disappointing results. Still, Nelson is only two years removed from scoring 19 goals and 31 points in 39 games for Minnesota.

East Notes: Keeper, Kowalsky, Terrance

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Despite signing a one-year contract with the Elite Ice Hockey League’s (EIHL) Glasgow Clan in late June, defenseman Brady Keeper won’t be playing out that contract with the team. In an announcement from the team, Keeper has decided to step away from hockey and retire at the age of 29.

A product of the NCAA’s University of Maine, Keeper signed with the Florida Panthers toward the end of the 2018-19 season as a collegiate free agent. He debuted with the Panthers during the 2018-2019 season, skating for 12:40 in a game against the Ottawa Senators on March 28, 2019. He recorded one blocked shot and two hits.

He spent the next few years moving from the Panthers to the Vancouver Canucks, before finally landing in the Montreal Canadiens organization in the 2023-24 season. Outside of an additional game with Florida, he’s only played in the AHL, finishing his career with 10 goals and 31 points in 129 games with a -2 rating and 208 PIMs. Unless he changes his mind on retirement in the next few years, his last professional hockey contest will have come with the AHL’s Laval Rocket in 2024.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Maine Mariners of the ECHL, affiliated with the NHL’s Boston Bruins, have added a lot of experience in their new head coach and General Manager. According to a team announcement, the Mariners have hired Rick Kowalsky as their next bench boss and General Manager, who was recently the head coach of the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals in the 2005-06 season and has won one coach of the year award in the AHL and another in the ECHL.
  • Carey Terrance, the main asset acquired by the New York Rangers from the Anaheim Ducks for Chris Kreider, is already making positive impressions in the organization. In a recent interview with Dan Rosen of NHL.com, the Rangers’ player development coach, Jed Ortmeyer, said of Terrance, “He was like, ’Yes, let me know. I want to be coached. You’re never going to hurt my feelings. I want to know. That was great to hear. He wants to be coached. He wants to get better and he’s hungry. He’s eager to learn and he wants to be great.“

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