Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer out week-to-week
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

As per Frank Seravalli, Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer is officially listed as week-to-week.

Grubauer left Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning after sliding across the crease to stop Anthony Cirelli from scoring. The Rosenheim, Germany product stopped 21 out of 23 shots and held a .913 save percentage.

This means Grubauer could miss this year’s Winter Classic that is slated for New Year’s Day against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington.

This season, Grubauer has accumulated a 5-9-1 record, a 3.26 goals-against average, and a .883 save percentage through 16 games. He is in the third year of a six-year, $35,400,000 million contract he signed with the Kraken in the summer of 2021 prior to the Kraken’s first NHL season. Grubauer’s contract has an average annual value of $5,900,000 million.

The 32-year-old netminder has had injury troubles ever since he left the Washington Capitals. The majority of his injuries have been lower body, including to his groin. He missed a couple of games earlier this season and was out for almost a month early on in the 2022-23 campaign.

The Kraken recalled goaltender Chris Driedger from the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL), he has yet to get a start. In 65 appearances in the NHL, Driedger is 58-30-23 with a 2.45 GAA, .917 SV% and five shutouts.

Seattle sits sixth in the Pacific Division with a 9-14-7 record and 25 points. They are set to face off against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday and the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

Wild sign Stanley Cup champion to PTO 
NHL

Wild sign Stanley Cup champion to PTO 

The third overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft feels he has more in the tank. According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have signed veteran defenseman Jack Johnson to a professional tryout agreement. Johnson, 38, is coming off a one-year agreement with the team he’s spent the most years of his career with, the Columbus Blue Jackets. His performance did little to inspire confidence in his playing abilities, as he only managed six assists in 41 games while averaging 12:52 of ice time per game. Johnson was arguably the worst defenseman on the Blue Jackets last season, finishing with the second-lowest CorsiFor% at even strength (44.8%), and the lowest (by a considerable margin) on-ice save percentage at even strength (85.5%). In Johnson’s defense, it’s notable that he is only two years removed from a relatively productive season with the Colorado Avalanche. He scored three goals and 16 points in 80 games, averaging nearly 15 minutes of ice time during the 2023-24 campaign. It could be because he was surrounded by better talent in Denver, but Johnson managed a far better 49.1% CF% and 92.7% oiSV%. Still, it’s hard to imagine where Johnson fits into the Wild’s defense, even if he has a strong training camp and preseason. Minnesota boasts one of the better defensive units in the league, which is even more impressive considering Jonas Brodin isn’t expected to start the season on time. Assuming a healthy unit, the Wild’s seventh defenseman would theoretically become Zach Bogosian or David Jiříček. Unlikely to accept a demotion to the American Hockey League at this stage of his career, Johnson may be using his PTO with the Wild as a means to find an opportunity with a different organization, as many players do with this style of agreement.

Jordan Love's thumb surgery comes at inopportune time for Packers
NFL

Jordan Love's thumb surgery comes at inopportune time for Packers

The Green Bay Packers have a cause for concern with Jordan Love in the preseason. The quarterback suffered a thumb injury during the Packers' 30-10 loss to the New York Jets on Saturday. Love went 1-of-5 passing for seven yards and took a sack for -3 yards in the defeat. Both of his drives ended in punts. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Love is set to have surgery on his thumb after seeing how it held up at practice on Monday. General manager Brian Gutekunst believes Love will be ready for Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. "Gutekunst sounded adamant that Love will be ready for Week 1 against the Lions," Schneidman wrote. "Hit his left hand on a helmet on that half-scramble vs. Jets. Wanted to see how it felt at practice yesterday and decided to get it fixed to avoid future issues. Will be with team in Indianapolis. "Brian Gutekunst says Jordan Love is having a procedure done on his left thumb. It’s a 'ligament thing.' Hurt it in the preseason opener. Gutekunst hopes he returns to practice next week." The injury comes at an inopportune time for the Packers. Love and the majority of his receivers have not been in sync during training camp and in the preseason game. Like last season, Packers' receivers have dropped passes during practices and did so in the preseason opener against the Jets. Green Bay needs Love on the field, gaining chemistry with his pass-catching targets, including first-round pick Matthew Golden, before it plays the Lions.

Jets QB Justin Fields had 'alarming' practice against Giants
NFL

Jets QB Justin Fields had 'alarming' practice against Giants

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields found out he has a long way to go following his performance at Tuesday's joint practice with the New York Giants. Per Connor Hughes of SNY TV, Fields started hot at the practice before struggling during the move-the-ball period. "Very interesting practice for #Jets QB Justin Fields," Hughes posted on X. "He finished 7 of 12 with a TD. 5 of 5 to start practice. Then 0 for 4. Finished 2 of 3 with the really impressive TD to Jeremy Ruckert in red zone (starter 18 yard line). "The offensive performance was a bit alarming in move-the-ball period of practice. Fields Co. had three attempts to get down field. They didn’t gain a first down. Only gained yards twice (two short Breece Hall runs). Three sacks. That needs to be fixed. #Giants defense toyed with NYJ during that period." Some Jets fans online thought Hughes was using hyperbole to characterize the practice, but he doubled down on his judgment of the offense. Fields looked strong on his first and only drive in the Jets' 30-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. He went 3-of-4 passing for 42 yards and rushed two times for 14 yards and a touchdown. However, the Giants defense at the joint practice is a much better unit than the short-handed one the Packers trotted out for the first preseason game. Fields' issues seen with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, with holding the ball too long and not being able to pass consistently downfield, were a factor against the Giants. Following Saturday's game, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Fields was getting better but had a lot to improve on. Tuesday's practice was a humbling reminder that Fields needs to become a consistent passer if the Jets are going to move the ball on good defenses in the regular season.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge lands at No. 1 on prestigious list
MLB

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge lands at No. 1 on prestigious list

The MLB regular season is roughly 75 percent complete. Plenty has changed since the start of the season, but one constant is New York Yankees superstar outfielder Aaron Judge. On Tuesday, ESPN updated its top-50 player rankings. Judge, who was fourth on the World Wide Leader's initial 2025 rankings of baseball's best players in early April, claimed the top spot. Los Angeles Dodgers DH/starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts rounded out the top four on the April list. Just over four months later, Judge edged Ohtani for No. 1. ESPN shared the article with the fully updated rankings on X (formerly Twitter). Judge is raking again this season, posting 37 HRs and 87 RBI with an impressive .336 BA through 109 games. It's fair to wonder where the spiraling New York Yankees (63-56 through Monday) would be without his production. Ohtani, meanwhile, hasn't done anything to drop down in the rankings; it's just hard to argue with the numbers Judge is putting up. The 31-year-old Dodgers star has 42 HRs and 78 RBI and a .284 batting average in 117 games. Plus, he has a 2.37 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 innings. Among the biggest risers on ESPN's list are Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (86th in April to fourth) and Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (unranked to seventh). For Betts and Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez, 2025 hasn't been as kind. Both fell from the top 10 to outside the top 50 altogether. The most important games of the season are still to come, and that's where Judge and Ohtani could add a few more bullet points to their already impressive resumes.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!