Grubauer: Kraken 'definitely have a good chance' of returning to playoffs
Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer expressed confidence in his team being well-equipped to make some noise in the Pacific Division this upcoming season.
"For sure," he told NHL Network on Tuesday night. "It was so tight last year, right? ... You can't miss a beat. You've gotta start from the beginning, from Game 1. And so many teams made so many upgrades and signed so many new guys. It's really tough to tell right now ... but we definitely have a good chance of making it to the playoffs again."
The Kraken missed the postseason by 17 points this past spring after making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history the year prior. Seattle was only two points out of a wild-card spot before the All-Star break, but it ultimately faded from the picture by going 13-16-3 the rest of the way, which featured an eight-game winless streak in March.
In an attempt to return to the playoffs, general manager Ron Francis brought in defenseman Brandon Montour and forward Chandler Stephenson on July 1. The former won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in June, while the latter helped the Vegas Golden Knights capture their first championship in 2023.
"I don't think the year we had last year was our year. ... But cards are going to get dealt new again," Grubauer said. "We're excited to get back out there. We have players coming in who won recently - not 10 years ago, the game's changed quite a bit. They bring a certain type of experience.
"We have players, too, that feel more and more comfortable with their role, and we grow together as a team. We know what we're capable of."
Grubauer has manned the Kraken's crease for their first three years of existence, but he has yet to log a season save percentage over .900 in the Emerald City.
The German missed two months of the 2023-24 campaign because of injuries but showed some promise upon his return in February, logging a .912 save percentage and a 9-7-1 record in his last 19 appearances.
Grubauer is under contract for three more seasons and carries a cap hit of $5.9 million. He signed with Seattle as an unrestricted free agent in July 2021.
The 32-year-old owns a career .911 clip and 158-122-32 record in 344 appearances, split between the Kraken, Colorado Avalanche, and Washington Capitals.
Grubauer won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.