Vezina Finalist Philipp Grubauer Signs Long-Term Deal With The Seattle Kraken

What do the Avalanche do now? Netminder Philipp Grubauer, who was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy just last month, has signed a 6-year, $5.9 million AAV contract with the newly-minted Seattle Kraken. Grubauer spent the last four seasons in Colorado, culminating his tenure by backstopping the Avs to a President's Trophy as the best team in the regular season.

Grubauer was drafted 114th overall by the Washington Capitals in 2010. He played parts of six seasons with the Caps, primarily backing up Washington's starting goaltender at the time, Braden Holtby. In the summer of 2018, after he and Washington had won their first Stanley Cup, Grubauer was traded to Colorado along with Brooks Orpik for a 2nd round draft pick. Grubauer took over the starting role in Colorado, gradually improving his numbers season by season, and finished the 2021 campaign having started 40 games and losing only 10 of them. He added a 1.95 GAA and a .922sv% along with 7 shutouts to that already impressive achievement.

While the assumption was that Chris Dreidger and Vitek Vanacek would be the tandem in Seattle, it now seems that the starter's net belongs to Grubauer. Seattle has signed themselves a franchise goalie for the foreseeable future, and this suggests that one of their expansion draft acquisitions may end up on the trade block.

What do you think about seeing Grubauer play in Seattle?

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