He's staying in the family! Kraken re-sign Firebirds' fan-favorite Joey Daccord
Many Coachella Valley Firebirds fans had already resigned themselves to the fact that fan-favorite Joey Daccord may never play in a Firebirds jersey again.
And while that may still be true, at least he's staying in the family.
The Seattle Kraken signed Daccord, the Firebirds' beloved goaltender, to a two-year deal on Friday afternoon, the day before he would've been a free agent able to sign with any franchise. The deal is worth $1.2 million per year and keeps Daccord in the Kraken organization.
Daccord, more than any other player, became the face of the Firebirds during their inaugural season. Chants of "Joe-y! Joe-y!" filled Acrisure Arena whenever he made a save and homemade signs and T-shirts with the name Joey printed on a brick wall were everywhere.
But social media posts and even his own exit interview made it seem likely that Daccord, who impressed the hockey world with his amazing season in goal for the Firebirds, would enter into free agency and be scooped up by the highest bidder.
Firebirds free agent tracker: Follow along as we keep an eye on who's going and who's staying
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However, on the final day when the Kraken were the only team able to negotiate with Daccord, they got a deal done just hours before his original contract expired. To start the season, he will likely be slotted in as the backup goaltender with the Kraken, behind current starter Philipp Grubauer.
Daccord allowed just 2.38 goals per game (fifth-best in the AHL) in the regular season, including three shutouts and a 26-8-3 record. Then he was even better in the playoffs.
He allowed only 2.22 goals per game while playing every second of all 26 postseason games. That effort included three more shutouts, two of which came in the Calder Cup Finals against Hershey. He also had the remarkable three-overtime game against Calgary where he made 60 saves and held the Wranglers scoreless for the second period, the third period and all three overtime periods.
He also played in five games for the Kraken during two separate call-ups during the season. He had a 2-1-1 record and yielded 3.14 goals per game.
Throughout his Firebirds tenure, Daccord made sure to thank the desert fans for their support on multiple occasions, saying he's never felt so loved at any stop in his career. That included his final words during an exit interview on June 23, two days after the team lost the Calder Cup Finals in Game 7 to Hershey.
"You guys are amazing. It was an incredible journey. I've never been supported the way I was supported this year. Hearing the 'Joey!' chants every single night was super-special and I'm just incredibly grateful to you all," he said, pausing in the middle to hold back his emotions.
As far as who will play in goal for the Firebirds next year, it's still an open-ended question. One of Daccord's backups, Chris Gibson, is also a free agent. Chris Driedger is the only goalkeeper other than Daccord who played for the Firebirds during their first year who is still under contract by the Kraken, but it's uncertain what the team's plans are for Driedger.
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Seattle Kraken sign Firebirds' fan-favorite Joey Daccord to two-year deal
