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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterOct 9, 2024, 01:00 PM ET
- Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
The Seattle Kraken are committing to goaltender Joey Daccord long term, signing him Wednesday to a five-year contract worth $5 million annually.
Daccord was set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. He was entering the final season of a two-year deal that saw him earn $1.2 million annually.
There has been a run on goaltenders getting new contracts, with Daccord on the lower end of the long-term deals. The Boston Bruins ended their stalemate with Jeremy Swayman on Sunday, agreeing to an eight-year deal worth $8.25 million annually. Swayman tied New York Islanders star Ilya Sorokin for the fourth-highest AAV among NHL goalies.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators signed Linus Ullmark to a four-year deal worth $8.25 million annually to match what Swayman, his former goalie partner and close friend, received from the Bruins. Ullmark was traded to Ottawa in the offseason and had a year left on his contract worth $5 million annually.
Those deals also come with the understanding that a new benchmark will likely be set when New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, also a pending UFA at the end of the season, signs a new contract.
Daccord’s deal is the latest development for a goalie who joined the team in the Seattle expansion draft with the intent he would serve as a third goaltender.
Injuries and inconsistencies from other netminders over the past few seasons opened the door for Daccord to make the jump from a third option to someone who could win games.
The 2023-24 season saw Daccord finish with several career highs en route to going 19-18-11 with a 2.46 goals/against average and a .916 save percentage. It led to the former Arizona State star becoming one of the major reasons why the Kraken entered late January with a shot of potentially making the playoffs. A lack of consistent scoring dashed those aspirations.
The Kraken now have Daccord and Philipp Grubauer as their tandem for two more seasons beyond this season. Grubauer becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.
With Daccord’s contract starting next season, it means the Kraken will have 12% of their salary cap space invested in their goaltenders — the fourth-highest amount for the 2025-26 season, per PuckPedia.
