The Seattle Kraken have addressed their need for goaltending as they prepare for their second season in the NHL by signing Martin Jones to be the newest Seattle Kraken goalie. Seattle was not as lucky as the Vegas Golden Knights in terms of available options in the expansion draft before their inaugural season.
The teams had learned their lessons when Vegas entered the league, none the less the Kraken entered last season with Chris Driedger and Philip Grubauer. The Kraken had a netminder that won a Stanley Cup in Grubauer and Chris Driedger who has plenty of strong qualities.
Unfortunately, both goaltenders had rough seasons as did the entire Seattle Kraken as a team. Philip Grubauer started 55 games for Seattle in 2021-2022, he had a 3.18 Goals Against Average and tallied 18 wins. His teammate Chris Driedger played 27 games and secured 9 wins accompanied by a 2.96 Goals Against Average.
Martin Jones who most recently played for the Philadelphia Flyers. The now 32-year-old North Vancouver, British Columbia native was undrafted and originally signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings in 2008.
Martin Jones would eventually get his shot in the NHL in 2013-2014 at the age of 24. The six-foot-four netminder played in 19 games that season, finishing with a 12-6 overall record. That year he would secure four shutouts on route to posting a .934 save percentage, and a stellar 1.81 goals against average. The Los Angeles Kings would go on to be the 2013-2014 Stanley Cup Champions and Martin Jones earned the Calder Trophy.
Martin Jones spent one more season with the Kings before being dealt to the San Jose Sharks where he would spend the next six seasons, playing 60-plus games four years in a row and finished with winning records four out of the six years he played for the Sharks. The now Seattle Kraken netminder played in 35 games for the Philadelphia Flyers last season, ending the year with a 12-18 record and 3.42 goals against average.
The Seattle Kraken will rely on the veteran netminder for stability in the net and hopefully help propel the team to above .500 for the first time in franchise history.
How do you think Martin Jones will perform as the newest Kraken goalie?
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