There was a lot of excitement when Seattle entered the league in 2021 as an expansion franchise. Much like the previous expansion team in Vegas, the Kraken had success early on. However, the buzz around the Kraken has subsided, and they are in a sort of no man's land.
The Kraken will have $21 million in cap space, but they will likely give Kaapo Kakko an extension. The 24-year-old Finn regained his confidence after his time in New York with the Rangers was tumultuous at best.
After missing the playoffs in 2023/2024, Kraken general manager Ron Francis was bold this offseason. He fired coach Dave Hakstol and hired longtime Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. They also signed forward Chandler Stephenson to a massive 7-year $6.25 million AAV deal and defender Brandon Montour to a 7-year $7.142 million AAV deal.
Both contracts are in contention for worst of the offseason, particularly the Stephenson deal. Yet these are not the worst deals even on the Kraken, that distinction falls to goalie Philipp Grubauer, who signed a 6-year, $5.9 million AAV deal in 2021. Sign signing that massive deal, he has not registered a save percentage above 90%.
Unfortunately for the Kraken, Grubauer is signed at that price until 2027, and after signing Joey Daccord to a 5-year $25 million deal, the Kraken are dedicating $11 million to their goaltending room. They are looking to potentially buy out Grubauer this offseason. However, I may have a solution for the Kraken.
The Pens to the rescue
I can already feel the pitchforks coming for this opinion, but hear me out. Grubauer will not play a single game for the Penguins. As soon as we acquire him, we will immediately buy out his contract. We would pay him $6,733,332 over four years.
This is a straight-up salary dump for Seattle, and they will have to attach a first-round pick in order for a team to take on that contract. For the Pens, this may not make sense and really does not make them better, but it will net us an unprotected first-round pick in the 2026 draft. Seattle has two first-round picks in the 2026 draft. Accumulating draft capital, especially first-rounders, is critical for the future success of the Penguins.