The Seattle Kraken are taking an unorthodox approach to their goaltending situation this season, running a three-man rotation in net that includes Joey Daccord, Philip Grubauer, and Matt Murray.<\/p>\n
Kraken goaltending coach Colin Zulianello explained to NHL.com<\/a> at the start of the campaign that the odd arrangement is designed to prevent \u201cfatigue reps\u201d or over-practicing. Having more goalies essentially means the players see less ice time, which minimizes the opportunity to get lazy, and allows them to have more energy to play at a high level in games.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes the quantity [of reps] that we receive in training camp creates some reps that are fatigue reps. You can pick up bad habits in that environment,\u201d Zulianello said<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019re leaving the day feeling accomplished and tired enough, but not too tired.\u201d<\/p>\n So far this season, though, Daccord has been the workhorse, starting five of the team\u2019s first seven games. Meanwhile, Grubauer and Murray have seen just one game each in the crease.<\/p>\n While there might be a lot of consideration behind the move, having a three-headed goalie monster out of choice baffles Kraken Hockey Network color commentator Eddie Olczyk who shared his thoughts during the Kraken\u2019s 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t like it. Let\u2019s just call it what it is, I don\u2019t like it,\u201d he said to his broadcast booth partner John Forslund.<\/p>\n Murray took the loss against the Caps, his 2025-26 debut, stopping 30 of 33 shots he faced. He gave up two even-strength goals and a power-play strike in just under 58 minutes on the ice.<\/p>\n Olczyk delivered his critical assessment when the Kraken were down 3-0 almost midway through regulation, struggling to see the team\u2019s vision as sustainable.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand the process [GM] Jason Botterill and his staff thought this thing through, and [for head] coach [Lane] Lambert it\u2019s not easy, too, because when you have an extra goaltender, you\u2019re short one position player,\u201d Olczyk said. \u201cNow, when you look at everything that\u2019s happened, all the injuries and stuff, you\u2019re in a spot. So a lot of things have to happen, you gotta do the gymnastics with the [salary] cap, all that kind of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n NHL teams are allowed a maximum of 23 active players on a roster which typically gets split as 18 skaters and two goalies dressing for a game with three healthy scratches. Seattle\u2019s roster has only 20 skaters lately due to Murray\u2019s inclusion, meaning Lambert has one less depth option in the case of injuries. Five Kraken players entered Tuesday night\u2019s contest on injured reserve and two additional skaters were listed as day-to-day but did not play against the Caps.<\/p>\n The team currently has just over $1.11 million in cap space, according to Puckpedia<\/a>. Grubauer\u2019s contract alone comes with a $5.9 million cap hit and the 33-year-old is in the penultimate season of his deal which was signed in 2021. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion with the Caps struggled for Seattle with the statistically worst season of his NHL career (3.49 GAA, .875 SV %) last year. He was waived and subsequently sent to the AHL for a month-long stint.<\/p>\n Instead of buying Grubauer out of his contract over the summer, Botterill reaffirmed his confidence in the German and seemingly is hoping he\u2019ll find his stride again with Lambert\u2019s guidance \u2013 something Grubauer would be familiar with from that 2018 championship run.<\/p>\n