Expansion Kraken land Grubauer; Lightning breakup continues

There was a method to the Seattle Kraken’s approach to preserve salary cap space while making their expansion draft selections.

After laying in wait, the Kraken made one of the biggest splashes in free agency by signing goalie Philipp Grubauer to a sixyear, $35.4 million contract Wednesday. Seattle’s roster is suddenly beginning to take form with the addition of one of the top players on the market.

T h e 29-year-old Grubauer, who finished second in the NHL with 30 wins and third in the Vezina Trophy voting following his third season in Colorado, represents a significant upgrade over the three goalies the Kraken plucked off 30 teams’ rosters.

His signing also dealt a blow to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche, who had difficulty squeezing him under their salary cap after re-signing captain Gabriel Landeskog a day earlier.

“He was the backbone of our team and a huge part of our success this past season,” Landeskog said after signing an eight-year, $56 million extension. “But at the end of the day I’m not going to tell Grubi what to

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