Doesn’t it feel like former Seattle Kraken goalie Chris Driedger has played more than 67 NHL games?
After all, Driedger first appeared with the Ottawa Senators 11 years ago, on Mar. 25, 2015. “The Hamburglar,” Andrew Hammond, had just surrendered his fifth goal to the New York Rangers.
So Driedger was summoned off the bench, stopping all 10 shots faced in 23 minutes of action.
Driedger, who was just signed by the Vancouver Canucks to a pro tryout deal, played one more game for the Senators in 2015-16, and one more in 2016-17. Mostly, he plied his trade in Belleville and Springfield of the AHL, and Brampton and Manchester of the ECHL.
The 6-foot-4, 210 pound Winnipeg native finally got a real shot as a free agent with the Florida Panthers. He earned a 27-save shutout over Nashville in his Panthers debut on Nov. 30, 2019. In 35 games over two seasons with the Cats, Driedger compiled a .931 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average.
Kraken Take Notice
That naturally drew the attention of the new NHL club in Seattle, who made the goalie one of their 2021 expansion draft picks. During the Kraken’s inaugural campaign, Driedger set career highs in games (27) and minutes (1,478), going a respectable 9-14-1. At age 27, it appeared he’d finally found a home.
Then disaster struck. Playing for Canada against Finland in the gold medal game of 2022 IIHF World Championships, Driedger suffered a torn ACL. A grueling eight-month rehab followed surgery. He made a successful return for AHL Coachella Valley on Feb. 27, 2023, making 30 saves in a 4–3 overtime win over San Jose.
One Final Kraken Highlight
An even more triumphant return came almost 20 months after the gruesome injury. Driedger back in net for Seattle against the Flames in Calgary on Dec. 27, 2023 was only half the story. The goalie rose to meet the moment – although a good bit of diving and kicking and lunging was involved, too – in a 37-save masterpiece, backing a 2-1 Kraken victory.
His last NHL start had been on May 1, 2022. “The most adversity I’ve ever faced in my career,” Driedger told the Canadian Press. “It’s been a long road, lots of hours spent with the medical staff, putting in hours when the guys are skating and watching from the stands. To finally get back in, it was pretty emotional.”
A former junior star for the WHL Calgary Hitmen, Driedger added, “I felt great, especially to do it here in Calgary. I’ve logged a lot of minutes here in my junior days. It was a long process, do the rehab, go to the minors, start this year in the minors, it’s a lot of adversity and it feels good to get this one.”
Fortunately for the Kraken, but unfortunately for Dreidger, Joey Daccord had made the most of the opportunity to share the net with Philipp Grubauer. There was no longer a place for Driedger, who would play just one more time for Seattle. Then it was back to the AHL with Florida and Winnipeg farm clubs, hoping but not receiving a call back to the NHL.
Cup Of Borscht In Russia, Then PTO In Vancouver
He played 23 games last year for Chelyabinsk Traktor of Russia’s KHL before leaving last November. (Besides Driedger, Chelyabinsk’s claim to fame came in 2013, when a house-sized asteroid exploded 18 miles over the city.)
Now, the 32-year-old goalie has returned to the North Pacific coast after what he called “a long off-season.” He spoke with The Province about his long-shot chances.
“It’s a bit of that underdog mentality for me. I’ve always played my best with that underdog mindset. It’s not usually the smoothest transition to come back from Russia, and I knew it would probably be on a contract where I’d have to prove myself.”
Driedger knows he’s vying for a spot while #1 netminder Thatcher Demko continues to mend. “I’m good fighting for every opportunity. I know what I’m capable of and it seems like there’s an opportunity with the Canucks. I’m excited to get things started.”
Earlier Seattle:
— Big Time Kraken – NHL Talk With TV’s John Forslund
