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Jets and Panthers Swap Goalies

The Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers have swapped depth goalies ahead of the NHL's trade deadline.

Nick Horwat

Sep 21, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (34) warms up before a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (34) warms up before a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images / James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
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The NHL trade deadline is officially under 24 hours away and moves of all sizes are still coming down the wire, including the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets swapping depth goalies. In a clean one-for-one trade, the Panthers send Chris Driedger to the Jets in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen.

With their new squads, it’s expected both netminders will be third strings behind the Panthers’ and Jets’ go-to goalie duos.

This isn’t the first goalie move the Panthers have made this year after they lost Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks, which they followed by adding Vitek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks.

Driedger joined the Panthers ahead of the 2024-25 season for his second stint in Florida after a few seasons with the Seattle Kraken. He has not played a game at the NHL level this season and will play a third-string role behind Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie in Winnipeg.

With 67 games of NHL experience, Driedger holds a 31-24-5 record with five shutouts, a .917 save percentage, and 2.45 goals against average.

Kahkonen started the 2024-25 season with the Jets but was later placed on waivers where he was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche. Amid a serious of struggles between the pipes in Colorado, Kahkonen played a single game with the Avalanche before being placed back on waivers. The Jets re-claimed Kahkonen to hold within their organization.

In Kahkonen’s one game with the Avalanche, he allowed four goals to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a loss.

With 140 NHL games under his belt, Kahkonen has a 49-68-15 record with a .898 save percentage and 3.34 goals against average.

Kahkonen will likely play behind Vanecek and Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovski in Florida.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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