Seattle GM Ron Francis Updates All Things Kraken (Part 6 Of 7)
Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis assesses the goaltending outlook for 2023-24, concentrating on the first-season tandem of Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger.
Philipp Grubauer
"I thought Gruby had a good year. I don't go to a lot of morning skates, but I went to the one in Colorado early in the year, and I thought, man, he really looks good. And then for 50 minutes in that game, he was outstanding.
"And then he hurt himself and he was out for a few weeks, and Jonesy (Martin Jones) stepped in and did a great job, and sort of took the ball and ran for a little bit. And then Gruby had probably some tough starts, some back-to-back (games against) good teams. But I thought in those games he gave us a chance to win.
"Towards the end of the season, he grabbed the ball again, and he was really good for us in the playoffs. I'm pleased with the season he had, happy for him. We hope that he's now set the standard where he thinks he can be, hopefully starts there and improves even more moving forward."
Chris Driedger
"Chris Driedger, physically, he's 100%. Actually talked to him before we returned him down to Coachella. He said that he feels great.
"It hasn't even been a year since he tore his ACL, so it's going to take him some time getting in games and starting feel comfortable with that. But he worked his tail off all year to try and get back into the lineup and back on the ice. Overall I thought he was trending in the right direction."