The Seattle Kraken have made the decision to place goaltender Philipp Grubauer on waivers as of Wednesday, indicating their intentions to send him down to the minors. If he successfully clears waivers, he is expected to join the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a team in the American Hockey League (AHL).

This season, Grubauer has faced significant challenges during his 21 starts, managing to secure victories in only five of them. His performance stats reflect this struggle; he holds an .866 save percentage and has a goals-against average of 3.83, making him rank at the bottom among all NHL goaltenders who have played in a minimum of 17 games this season.

At 33 years old, Grubauer has a contract that extends for two more seasons, carrying a salary cap hit of $5.9 million. This figure places him as the 14th and 11th highest paid goaltender for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, respectively. Given these financial implications and the anticipated increase in the salary cap, it appears unlikely that any of the other 31 NHL teams would take a chance on him.

Grubauer’s career includes notable achievements; he began as the starter for the Washington Capitals during the first game of the playoffs when they captured the Stanley Cup in 2018. Furthermore, he was nominated for the prestigious Vezina Trophy while playing for the Colorado Avalanche in 2021. Overall, he has participated in 412 regular-season and playoff games across his ten-year career in the NHL, representing the Capitals, Avalanche, and Hurricanes since entering the league in 2013.