Florida Panthers agree to a one-year contract with goalkeeper Chris Driedger

Sunrise, Florida.– Bill Zito, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Florida Panthers, announced today that the club has agreed to a one-year contract with goaltender Chris Driedger.

“Chris is a talented, experienced and hard-working goalie,” Zito said. “We look forward to his return to the Florida Panthers organization.”

Driedger, 30, played in two games with the Seattle Kraken in 2023-24, posting a .917 save percentage. He also played in 39 American Hockey League (AHL) regular season games with Seattle’s affiliate team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, posting a 9.17 save percentage, a 2.26 goals-against average and four shutouts. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Driedger posted a 12-6 record, leading the Firebirds to a Western Conference victory and an appearance in the Calder Cup Final.

The 6’4″ and 210lb native of Winnipeg, Manitoba has played a total of 67 career NHL games for the Ottawa Senators (2014-15 to 2016-17), the Florida Panthers (2019-20 to 2020-21) and the Seattle Kraken (2021-22 and 2023-24), recording a 31-24-5 record, a .917 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average.

In his previous stint with the Cats, he posted a record of 21-8-4, a .931 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average in 35 games.

Originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the third round (76th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Driedger appeared in 192 AHL games between Coachella Valley (2022-23 to 2023-24), the Springfield Thunderbirds (2018-19 to 2019-20) and the Belleville/Binghamton Senators (2013-14 to 2017-18), compiling a record of 95-69-15, a .913 save percentage and eight shutouts.

On the international stage, Driedger won a silver medal with Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, posting a 4-2-0 record, .915 save percentage and 1.76 goals-against average in six tournament appearances.

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