Phillip Grubauer was put on Injured Reserve back in October thanks to a lower body injury he sustained during the Kraken’s victory over the Colorado Avalanche
Today, the Kraken will welcome him back into the fold!…Then add some very interesting wrinkles to their goalie situation:
Also of note here is that the Kraken have elected to assign Gustav Olofsson to Coachella Valley instead of say…Magnus Hellberg, who returned to the team off waivers earlier in the month from his Study Abroad-level stint in Ottawa.
This however, does raise some questions: It’s rather unusual to carry three goalies unless you’re planning to use all three at some point, and it’s not like he’s had a clear position for himself since the injury. Martin Jones is, as far as anyone is concerned, the starter for your 2022-23 Seattle Kraken due to his incredible performances early on this season, and Hellberg himself had a solid regular season debut in which he pitched a .935 SV% and the win against the Stars while he was in Ottawa. Grubauer may make the big bucks, but it’s clear in his very short season so far…he may in fact be fighting for his job if Hellberg doesn’t end up on waivers. What do you do after that? Even with his on-ice struggles, his mighty checks are still cashing mightily, and that is a HARD contract to get out from under.
We’ll see on Saturday if he gets the nod against Los Angeles, or if there’s competition for their game against the Sharks on American Turkey Day Eve. Some veeeery interesting times are ahead of these Squids.
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