The Seattle Kraken are coming off a successful offseason and are looking to make the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. It's been tough sledding for the club since a Year 2 breakout. While the Kraken added some solid free agents, one of these signings has created a significant training camp battle in 2025.
Seattle finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 35-41-6, placing them in seventh place in the Pacific Division. It was also the fourth-worst record in the Western Conference. The scoring output was solid. The Kraken finished 16th in the NHL in goals scored. This was led by Jared McCann, who found the back of the net 22 times while adding 39 assists, good for 61 total points. The powerplay did struggle at times, sitting 23rd in the NHL.
The biggest issue for the team was on the defensive side of the ice. The Kraken were 24th in the NHL in goals against in 2024-25. The team attempted to improve in that regard this offseason. The Seattle front office brought in Ryan Lindgren on a four-year deal. He is currently expected to play on the third defensive rotation, giving the team three solid pairings with Vince Dunn at the top, and Brandon Montour with the second group.
Even with quality defenders and a young core that can score, the team struggled. The fix for those struggles is the biggest camp battle in 2025.
Goaltending is vital for success
Goaltending success often directly correlates with successful teams. In the 2024-25 season, the best team in the NHL was the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck led the NHL in goals against per game while sitting second in the league in save percentage. Teams that had a goaltender play at least 30 games and have a save percentage over .905 also saw a ton of success as a whole. In 2024-25, 16 netminders played at least 30 games and had a save percentage of .905 or better. Only Dustin Wolf, Ilya Sorokin, and Joey Daccord did not get to enjoy playoff hockey.
A similar pattern held true in 2023-24. That year, 21 goaltenders played at least 30 games with a save percentage of .905 or above. Of the 21 netminders, only five did not see playoff hockey. Once again, Sorokin was on the list, but so was Daccord.
The Kraken goalie is the undisputed starter for the team and has been solid in his two seasons as the full-time starter. In 2023-24, he went 19-18-11 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. The American then followed that up by going 27-23-5 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Both of those years were strong enough from the starting goaltender to make a run to the playoffs. Yet, they have missed both years. The issue has been the backup netminder.
Who will back up Joey Daccord?
The Kraken needed to address the backup goaltender situation this past summer. Philipp Grubauer has been the primary backup to Daccord the past two seasons. In 2023-24, he went 14-16-2 with a 2.86 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. While not great numbers, they are serviceable for a backup option on the club. Still, the German netminder was dreadful last season. He went 8-17-1 with a 3.49 goals against average and a .875 save percentage. The Kraken finished 20 points outside of the playoffs. If Grubauer was just average in 2024-25, the team may not have made the playoffs, but they would have been in the thick of the race. With how he played, the Kraken had little shot of making a playoff run.
The team brought in Matt Murray to compete for the backup goaltending spot. He spent the majority of his time in 2024-25 in the AHL, but did see NHL work with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing in two games. Murray was once the primary goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins, having four solid years with the club and leading them to the playoffs each year and helping them win back-to-back Stanley Cups. Since then, he has spent time with the Ottawa Senators and Maple Leafs, both at the NHL and AHL levels. His recent years have not been great, but he still had a save percentage over .900 in two of the past three seasons.
For his career, he is 147-87-24 with a 2.80 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. He is going to battle with Grubauer for that spot behind Daccord. Seattle needs to find a solution for who will give Daccord rest days. Grubauer was not the solution last season, but it is possible that having another option on the roster who could take his spot will spur him to return to his former, higher level of play. If not, Murray will take the job, and Grubauer could be bought out or waived and sent to the AHL. If Seattle is going to make a playoff run, this battle could decide it, making it the most intriguing for 2025 training camp.
