SUNRISE, Fla.– Florida Panthers President of Hockey Ops. & General Manager Bill Zitoannounced today that the club has agreed to terms with goaltender Chris Driedger on a one-year contract.
“Chris is a talented, experienced and hard-working goaltender,” said Zito. “We are excited for his return to the Florida Panthers organization.”
Driedger, 30, appeared 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, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, producing a 9.17 save percentage, 2.26 goals against average and four shutouts. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Driedger logged a 12-6 record to lead the Firebirds to a Western Conference championship and an appearance in the Calder Cup Final.
The 6-foot-4, 208-pound native of Winnipeg, Manitoba has appeared in 67 total NHL regular season games in his career between the Ottawa Senators (2014-15 to 2016-17), Florida Panthers (2019-20 to 2020-21) and Seattle Kraken (2021-22 and 2023-24), registering a 31-24-5 record, .917 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average.
In his previous stint with the Cats, he posted a 21-8-4 record, .931 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average over 35 total games.
Originally drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the third round (76th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Driedger has appeared in 192 AHL contests between Coachella Valley (2022-23 to 2023-24), the Springfield Thunderbirds (2018-19 to 2019-20), and Belleville/Binghamton Senators (2013-14 to 2017-18), accumulating a 95-69-15 record, .913 save percentage and eight shutouts.
On the international stage, Driedger earned 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 over six tournament appearances.
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