Seattle Kraken's 3 Worst Contracts of 2023-24

The Seattle Kraken took a big step back from the success of last season, but that was to be expected after surprising the league and even knocking off the then defending Stanley Cup champions. There aren't any ridiculous contracts on the team, but there are a number of less than ideal contracts, especially this season with less than poor results. These are the three worst of them.

Chris Driedger

The Kraken made a mistake by signing Chris Driedger to a three-year deal after a small showing in Florida the season prior. The Kraken gave him big money and expected more seasons playing the same caliber of hockey. He immediately struggled his first season, then only played games in the AHL last season, and has once again spent the majority of the season in the minors. He is being paid $3.5 million AAV with a modified no-trade clause, so at least the contract is ending after the season.

Philipp Grubauer

Philipp Grubauer wasn't the goalie that the Kraken expected when they signed him either. He struggled the first season with a .889 SV%, split the starts last season with Martin Jones and had a .895 SV%, and now only has a .897 SV% while Joey Daccord has proven that he should be the number one moving forward. Grubauer has a cap hit of $5.9 million AAV for three more years on top of this.

Andre Burakovsky

As far as forwards go, a number of them being paid around the $5 million AAV mark have struggled, but Andre Burakovsky's numbers have been very weak and his expectations were a lot higher. He was great in Colorado and then had a strong season in 2022-23 that was shortened due to injury. After 13 goals and 39 points in 49 games, he was expected to stay at that scoring rate. Instead, he has four goals and 12 points in 38 games while playing on the third line. His scoring has gone completely cold for the entirety of his season and he has a cap hit of $5.5 million AAV for three more years.