It’s July of 2021. The inaugural season for the Kraken is right around the corner and the city is buzzing with excitement. With no one in net, one of the first moves to be made is signing a goalie. Philip Grubauer agrees to come to town and a contract at 6 years/35.4 million dollars and the newly minted Seattle Kraken have their starting goaltender. It was basically all downhill from there.

Grubauer’s first season with the Kraken saw him finish with a 3.16 goals against average and a .889 save percentage. These numbers would statistically make him one of the worst starting goaltenders in the entire NHL. He would go on to never win more than 18 games for the club in a single regular season, losing the starting role in just his second year of his six year contract to Martin Jones playing 39 games to Jones 42. The Stanley Cup Playoff run is Gru’s only bright spot in this tenure, starting all 14 games and coming within 1 goal allowed to a spot in the Western Conference Finals. That playoff run is worth a golf clap right there.

We fast forward to January 29th, 2025 and the once franchise goalie and anchor is sent down on waivers and clears. Now a member of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, we must ask the question – is that the last time we’ll see Gru in a Kraken sweater? And what is the future of this club in net?

Well, the answer, for now at least, is 28 year old Joel “Joey” Daccord. Bet you didn’t know his name was Joel, did ya? Daccord in 2024 finished with a sparkling 2.46 goals against average and .916 save percentage. Among goalies that started 20 games or more, these numbers put Joey into the top 10. Really clutch. Thus far in 2025, Daccord has played 34 games and is looking very consistent coming in with a 2.43 goals against average and .917 save percentage. Almost identical! Consistency is what the Kraken need in net as it has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride back there in their short 3 year history. The team rewarded Daccord back in late 2023 by signing him to a 5 year extension and 25 million dollars. Since then he has rewarded the team back and looks to be the future of the club.

The Kraken have also called up journeyman goaltender Ales Stezka. Selected in the same draft as Joey, Stezka went to the Minnesota Wild in 2015. He has played in multiple minor leagues as well as overseas but has not made his NHL debut yet. At 28 years old there is little known about Stezka’s ability to perform at the professional level. Stats in minor leagues can be helpful, but goalies are notoriously fickle and hard to project. They have the ability to go on hot streaks, gain confidence, and completely surprise everyone. While I won’t say I can see this coming for Stezka, I am keeping my eye on him to see how he performs. If anything, it’ll be very cool to see a professional debut and am excited for what his future could be.