Why Kraken Goalie Joey Daccord (Probably) Won't Suffer Burnout

A dramatic scene from the 2010 film True Grit shows marshal Rooster Cogburn racing miles and miles to a doctor on horseback, attempting to save teen passenger Mattie Ross from a potentially fatal rattlesnake bite.

Out of necessity, Cogburn rides his horse hard. Really, really hard. Fortunately, Mattie makes it to the doctor in time to save her life. Unfortunately, the horse dies from exhaustion.

Could the Seattle Kraken be in danger of metaphorically doing the same thing to goalie Joey Daccord that the marshal did to his mount?

The answer, somewhat surprisingly, is "probably not." But not "definitely not."

For reference, the table at left shows the seven NHL goalies this season who have started the highest percentage of their team's games.

For the season, Joey Daccord has made 35 starts to date, 63% of the team's total games.

But. Daccord has started 24 of the last 28 Kraken contests through Thursday night's victory over Vancouver won by Philipp Grubauer. 24 of 28 is 86%, a higher rate than any goalie this season.

Two reasons for the heavy usage: one, Grubauer only recently returned from a lengthy injury absence; two, Daccord's stellar netminding rescued a Kraken season in danger of collapsing. Both his save percentage (.921) and goals-against average (2.37) are top-5 among NHL netminders with at least 19 appearances.

Daccord proved last season at AHL Coachella Valley that he can be a reliable workhorse. He followed a 38-game regular season by starting 26 consecutive playoff games, leading the Firebirds to the Calder Cup Finals.

At least from an external viewpoint, the 27-year-old Daccord isn't showing mental or physical signs of wear and tear.

And Down The Stretch They Come

Coach Dave Hakstol normally provides thoughtful, expansive responses to media questions. However, when asked a couple of weeks back why Daccord was playing so much, the coach's answer lasted three words: "To win games."

Which is the correct answer. Hakstol, who takes a holistic view of coaching, has waited an extra day to confirm a player isn't returning too soon from an injury. In a results-driven business, though, his first duty is to ice the lineup giving the Kraken the best chance "to win games."

In praising Grubauer's latest performance - 19 saves on 21 Canucks shots - Hakstol also hinted at his goalie rotation roadmap for the stretch drive. "Really solid performance, gives confidence to everybody in the room and everybody on the bench.

"The tandem that he and Joey are providing is going to continue to be important, regardless of the number of starts. It doesn't matter the number of starts. Every game is equally important."

Which might be the coach's pre-emptive way of explaining that right now, Daccord is still his thoroughbred as NHL teams come down the playoff stretch.

Editor's Note: Historical precedents argue both for monitoring goalie workload, and also why heavy usage isn't ultimately detrimental. That story comes Saturday morning.