Crackin' Down On The Kraken

There were some eyebrows raised when it was announced that the Seattle Kraken had signed Philipp Grubauer away from the Colorado Avalanche, but we know that expansion teams lean heavily on goaltending. The add of Grubauer, however, allowed Seattle to make other moves for their future, but they'll be set between the pipes for the next six seasons after he signed a deal worth $35.4 million in total. Seattle GM Ron Francis was all smiles, it seems, when Grubauer signed the deal, but the NHL was not as they rejected the contract given to Grubauer over the CBA's rules, forcing Seattle to make some minor changes to the payment structure before the deal could be stamped as official by the NHL and Grubauer officially becomes the starting netminder for the Seattle Kraken.

Honestly, I commend the NHL for going over the details of this contract and finding that the salary increase was beyond the specified amount allowed in the CBA from year to year in Grubauer's contract. Someone is keeping the numbers in check in the NHL offices and that's a good sign when it comes to ensuring the CBA's mandates are being followed to the letter.

After a few adjustments, Grubauer will still count for $5.9 million against Seattle's salary cap over the next six seasons. Nothing will change on the average annual salary or the total salary earned by the netminder, but $250,000 had to be moved from 2023-24 to 2022-23 to satisfy CBA requirements regarding increases between years for a player's salary.

You have to wonder if the Kraken have some sort of CBA expert in their front office who could have caught this error. I would assume they do as it seems that all teams do, but you would think this sort of thing wouldn't happen with the Kraken's first major free agent signing as they prepare for their first season. Regardless, the new contract was submitted literally hours after the first one was rejected, so the Kraken made short work of the NHL's disapproving look.

I expect Francis to have someone look over the contracts being handed out a little closer before they're sent off to the NHL to be rubber-stamped for approval as a mistake like this on Francis' resume after all his general management experience doesn't look good. It's not going to change his standing with the NHL offices or any of his colleagues, but there likely would be a quiet "don't let it happen again, please" message sent his way so that the NHL and the Kraken aren't making this kind of news going forward.

Philipp Grubauer will certainly be your starting netminder for the Seattle Kraken this season and beyond, and I would wager that there shouldn't be any other contract news or rejections coming out of Seattle over that same period.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!