"He just won a Stanley Cup. He's a winner, and that's always important. He knows what it takes," said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Joe Sakic following Friday's trade. "He was just in a dressing room that went through a grind. You don't win a Stanley Cup if you're not part of a close team that believes and knows how to win in the playoffs. And he had a huge part in getting them into the playoffs. He's had two really good years in a backup role, and we all feel he's ready to take the next step and become a No. 1. We're excited to have two No. 1 goalies."
Grubauer appeared in 35 regular-season games for the Stanley Cup champion Capitals, posting a 15-10-3 record while leading the team in goals-against average (2.35), save percentage (.923) and shutouts (3). Grubauer's 35 games and 15 wins were career highs, while his three shutouts tied a personal best from 2016-17. He led all NHL goaltenders in both goals-against average (1.93) and save percentage (.937%) from Nov. 24 until the end of the season (min. 20 games). The 6-foot-1, 191-pound netminder went on to start Washington's first two games of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs (0-1-0, 4.57 GAA).
Selected by Washington in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Grubauer has compiled a 43-31-11 career record with a 2.29 GAA, .923 Sv% and six shutouts in 101 NHL games. He appeared in his 100th career contest on April 1, 2018 at Pittsburgh.
A native of Rosenheim, Germany, Grubauer has compiled the third-most victories ever by a German-born goaltender, trailing Olaf Kolzig (303) and Thomas Greiss (98).
Internationally, Grubauer represented Germany in five games in 2017 between the IIHF World Championship and Olympic Qualifiers, posting a 1.53 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage. He suited up for his country at the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Belarus, posting a 2.03 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in two appearances. Grubauer backstopped Germany at two IIHF World Junior Championships in 2009 and 2011.
