Driedger was traded to the Jets from the Panthers on Thursday in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen, per RDS.ca.
Driedger was undoubtedly disappointed after Florida acquired Vitek Vanecek from San Jose to step into the Panthers' vacant No. 2 role, once again relegating the 30-year-old Driedger to the third spot on the depth chart. While that hasn't changed with his new club, at least he will be playing back in his native Winnipeg when he joins AHL Manitoba.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Headed back to minors
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Driedger was reassigned to AHL Charlotte on Thursday, Alex Baumgartner of Five Reasons Sports reports.
Driedger was called up to the NHL after the Panthers traded Spencer Knight to Chicago but became expendable when a second deal brought Vitek Vanecek over from San Jose. Over the last two seasons, the 30-year-old Driedger has seen action in just two NHL games for the Kraken. Once viewed as a solid No. 2 during the 2020-21 campaign when he went 14-6-3 with three shutouts and a 2.07 GAA for Florida, Driedger has been relegated to an emergency depth option while playing in the AHL.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Called up Sunday
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Driedger was called up from AHL Charlotte on Sunday, per PuckPedia.
Driedger figures to serve as Sergei Bobrovsky's backup the rest of the season, barring other moves, after Spencer Knight was dealt to Chicago for Seth Jones. The 30-year-old Driedger has yet to appear in an NHL game this year. He made two starts for Seattle in 2023-24, going 1-1-0 with a .917 save percentage.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Returned to AHL
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Driedger was reassigned to AHL Charlotte on Friday, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Driedger was recalled as Sergei Bobrovsky (personal) took time off for the birth of his second child. Bobrovsky is due to return to the lineup Saturday, hence Driedger's return to Charlotte. Driedger was 5-2-1 with a 3.22 GAA and an .885 save percentage across eight AHL appearances before his recall.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Summoned from minors
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Driedger was recalled from AHL Charlotte on Monday.
It's unclear if Sergei Bobrovsky or Spencer Knight are dealing with injuries, but Driedger will serve as Florida's No. 3 netminder in the meantime. Mackie Samoskevich was loaned to the Checkers in a corresponding move. Driedger is sporting a 5-2-1 record, .885 save percentage and 3.22 GAA through eight appearances with the Checkers in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Heads to minors
Rotowire
Driedger was reassigned to AHL Charlotte on Wednesday.
Driedger was waived by Florida on Tuesday, but he still served as the backup goaltender for Florida's 6-4 victory over Boston in that evening's game. His demotion to the minors corresponds with the Panthers calling up Spencer Knight, who will serve as the new No. 2 goaltender behind Sergei Bobrovsky.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Placed on waivers
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Driedger was designated for waivers by the Panthers on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Driedger's placement on waivers clears the way for him to be reassigned to AHL Charlotte, assuming he clears, after Tuesday's clash with the Bruins. While Sergei Bobrovsky will be manning the crease in that contest, the 30-year-old Driedger will serve as the backup. Once he clears, the Winnipeg native figures to switch places with Spencer Knights, who is expected to be called up in a corresponding move.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: In net Saturday
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Driedger will guard the home net Saturday against the Hurricanes, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Driedger will make his second start of the preseason after stopping 12 of 15 shots in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old netminder is competing with Spencer Knight for the backup job behind Sergei Bobrovsky at training camp.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Expected to start Wednesday
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Driedger is set to start in Wednesday's road preseason game against Tampa Bay, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now.
Driedger had a 2.26 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 39 contests with AHL Coachella Valley in 2023-24. He also posted a record of 1-1-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .917 save percentage in two appearances with Seattle. Driedger is competing with Spencer Knight for the backup role in Florida behind Sergei Bobrovsky.
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Panthers' Chris Driedger: Earns one-year deal
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Driedger signed a one-year contract with Florida on Monday.
Driedger will likely compete with Spencer Knight for the backup job behind Sergei Bobrovsky. Driedger spent two seasons with Florida before being taken by the Kraken during their expansion draft. Last season, he posted a strong 2.26 GAA and .917 save percentage in 39 regular-season appearances with AHL Coachella Valley. He then registered a .906 save percentage in 18 AHL postseason appearances. Driedger saw action in only two NHL games during the 2023-24 campaign.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Reassigned to AHL
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Driedger was returned to AHL Coachella Valley on Tuesday.
In a corresponding move, Philipp Grubauer (lower body) was activated from long-term injured reserve. Driedger has stopped 55 of 60 shots in two starts for the Kraken this campaign en route to a 1-1-0 record.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Bounced by Blueshirts
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Driedger turned aside 18 of 22 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Rangers.
New York's final goal was scored into an empty net. Seattle never led in the game, and a Vincent Trocheck power-play tally midway through the first period on which he was left all alone at Driedger's back door for a tap-in set the tone. It was Driedger's first action since Dec. 27, and while the final result was mostly out of his hands, he'll likely continue to cede most of the work in the Kraken's crease to Joey Daccord.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Starting against Rangers
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Driedger will guard the road goal Tuesday against the Rangers, per Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times.
Driedger, who will make his second NHL start of the season, will get the second half of Seattle's back-to-back after Joey Daccord played in Monday's 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh. The 29-year-old Driedger made 37 saves in a 2-1 win over Calgary on Dec. 27 in his first NHL outing of 2023-24. The Rangers rank 14th in the league this campaign with 3.26 goals per contest.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Stellar in win
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Driedger stopped 37 of 38 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Flames.
Driedger did everything asked of him and then some, quieting the Flames' offense. The 29-year-old hadn't played an NHL game since May 1, 2022, missing a large chunk of that time with an ACL injury. Joey Daccord has been excellent with Philipp Grubauer (lower body) out, but Driedger proved he can provide solid outings too. It's unclear how the Kraken's workload will be distributed going forward, with their next game coming back at home versus the Flyers on Friday.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Making first start
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Driedger will guard the road goal Wednesday versus the Flames, Aaron Vickers of NHL.com reports.
Driedger will make his first NHL start since the 2021-22 campaign. He's been serving as the backup to Joey Daccord with Philipp Grubauer (lower body) unavailable. The Flames have won three of their last six games, scoring 19 goals in that span.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Recalled Sunday
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Driedger was recalled from AHL Coachella Valley on Sunday, per Scott Malone of Root Sports.
Driedger figures to assume the backup job in Seattle behind Joey Daccord after Philipp Grubauer (lower body) was added to IR. The 29-year-old Driedger last played in the NHL in the 2021-22 season, when he went 9-14-1 with an .899 save percentage.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Dropped to AHL
Rotowire
Driedger was reassigned to AHL Coachella Valley on Saturday.
Driedger has served as Joey Daccord's backup for the last two games due to the absence of Philipp Grubauer (undisclosed). Driedger's demotion probably means that Grubauer will be available for Tuesday's contest against Chicago.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Elevated from AHL
Rotowire
Driedger was called up from AHL Coachella Valley on Tuesday.
Driedger joins the Kraken's roster with Philipp Grubauer (undisclosed) unlikely to play Wednesday versus the Sharks. It's expected Driedger will serve as backup to Joey Daccord during Grubauer's absence, though the Kraken don't have any back-to-backs left in November.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Surfaces on waivers
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Driedger was put on waivers Saturday for the purpose of sending him to AHL Coachella Valley.
Driedger posted a 9-4-0 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 14 AHL outings last season. He missed most of the 2022-23 season after undergoing knee surgery in early June of 2022.
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Kraken's Chris Driedger: Returns to AHL
Rotowire
Driedger was reassigned to AHL Coachella Valley on Tuesday, per CapFriendly.
Driedger was with the big club as the No. 3 goalie during the Kraken's playoff run, which ended Monday. He'll likely resume a backup role behind Joey Daccord with the Firebirds as they continue in the AHL playoffs.
