# Chris Driedger
**Chris Driedger** (born 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who has played 67 regular-season NHL games for the [Ottawa Senators](https://www.edgepedia.org/ottawa-senators), Florida Panthers, and [Seattle Kraken](https://www.edgepedia.org/seattle-kraken), and was selected by Seattle in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.[1](https://www.nhlpa.com/player/4052/chris-driedger/) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-goaltender-chris-driedger-to-a-pto-hire-sean-finn-as-amateur-scout) • [3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1994, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada[1](https://www.nhlpa.com/player/4052/chris-driedger/) |
| Position | Goaltender, catches left, 6'4", 210 lb[1](https://www.nhlpa.com/player/4052/chris-driedger/) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-goaltender-chris-driedger-to-a-pto-hire-sean-finn-as-amateur-scout) |
| Draft | Ottawa Senators, 3rd round, 76th overall, 2012 NHL Entry Draft[4](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/d/driedch01.html) |
| NHL career | 67 games, 31-24-5 record, 2.45 GAA, .917 save percentage, 5 shutouts[2](https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-goaltender-chris-driedger-to-a-pto-hire-sean-finn-as-amateur-scout) |
| Best NHL season | 2019-20 with Florida: 2.05 GAA and .938 save percentage, both leading NHL netminders with more than one game[5](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/k7s0yitkqdorhrlhekgb.pdf) |
| Seattle contract | Three years, $10.5 million ($3.5 million AAV), signed July 26, 2021 after being claimed in the expansion draft[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096) |
| International | Silver medal, 2022 IIHF World Championship with Canada[6](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/59689/chris-driedger) |
## Junior career and draft
Driedger played major junior hockey in the [Western Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-hockey-league) with the Tri-City Americans and the Calgary Hitmen, and was named to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game during the 2011-12 season.[7](https://theahl.com/stats/player/5570) The Ottawa Senators selected him in the third round, 76th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.[4](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/d/driedch01.html) With the Hitmen he set the franchise record for saves, 3,773, which was 399 more than the previous record holder, Martin Jones.[7](https://theahl.com/stats/player/5570) On February 1, 2014, he became the sixth goaltender in WHL history, and the first in Hitmen history, to be credited with a goal after the puck was inadvertently put into the Kootenay Ice empty net.[7](https://theahl.com/stats/player/5570)
## Ottawa and the long path to the NHL
Driedger signed a three-year entry-level contract with Ottawa on April 1, 2014.[7](https://theahl.com/stats/player/5570) His NHL debut came on March 26, 2015, at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.[8](https://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/driedger.html) He appeared in three games in relief for Ottawa from 2014-17, allowing four goals in those appearances, while spending most of his time in the AHL and ECHL.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096) • [7](https://theahl.com/stats/player/5570) After being released by Ottawa, he signed a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds on July 3, 2018.[7](https://theahl.com/stats/player/5570)
## Florida Panthers
The Panthers signed Driedger as a free agent on February 24, 2019.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096) His 2019-20 season was the strongest of his career: in 12 NHL games he set career bests of a 2.05 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage, both of which led all NHL netminders who appeared in more than one game that year.[5](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/k7s0yitkqdorhrlhekgb.pdf) He also became the first Panthers goaltender to record a shutout in his first NHL start with the team, against Nashville.[5](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/k7s0yitkqdorhrlhekgb.pdf) Over two seasons with Florida he played 35 games (34 starts).[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096)
## Seattle Kraken and injury
The Seattle Kraken selected Driedger from Florida in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on July 21, 2021, and signed him to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with a $3.5 million annual average value on July 26, making him the expansion team's No. 1 goaltender.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096) • [9](https://ingoalmag.com/goaltenders/chris-driedger/) In the 2021-22 season he went 9-14-1 with a 2.96 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage in 27 games (24 starts) as the backup to Philipp Grubauer.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096)
Driedger tore the ACL in his right knee in the third period of Canada's 4-3 overtime loss to Finland in the championship game of the [2022 IIHF World Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/2022-iihf-world-championship) on May 29, 2022, and had surgery the following Monday. The Kraken said he would need 7 to 9 months to recover, and he missed at least the first three months of the next season.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096) He returned to NHL action on December 27, 2023, earning a 37-save win in his 2023-24 season debut, his first NHL game since May 1, 2022.[10](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/meet-chris-driedger-professional-goaltender-and-film-maker/)
## Later career
In a March 6, 2025 trade between backup netminders, Winnipeg brought Driedger in from Florida in exchange for Kaapo Kähkönen; over 20 games that season for the [Charlotte Checkers](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlotte-checkers) of the AHL, his 2024-25 record stood at 10-6-4, with a .878 save percentage and a 2.97 goals-against average.[11](https://canespr.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/clips030725.pdf) He did not appear in an NHL game for Winnipeg, and finished the season with the AHL's Manitoba Moose.[6](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/59689/chris-driedger)
For 2025-26 he moved to the [Kontinental Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/kontinental-hockey-league), appearing in 23 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk and posting an 8-9-2 record with a 3.05 goals-against average, an .897 save percentage, and one shutout.[2](https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-goaltender-chris-driedger-to-a-pto-hire-sean-finn-as-amateur-scout) On August 27, 2026, the [Vancouver Canucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/vancouver-canucks) signed him to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.[2](https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-goaltender-chris-driedger-to-a-pto-hire-sean-finn-as-amateur-scout)
## Career totals and style
Across 67 career NHL regular-season games split between Ottawa, Florida, and Seattle, Driedger holds a record of 31-24-5 with a 2.45 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage, and five shutouts. He has also appeared in three [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup) playoff games, going 0-1 with a 3.69 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage.[2](https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-goaltender-chris-driedger-to-a-pto-hire-sean-finn-as-amateur-scout) In the AHL he has played 217 regular-season games with a 2.74 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.[6](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/59689/chris-driedger) Outside hockey, he has spoken about his work through the NHLPA's UNLMT program and his interest in filmmaking, and after turning pro he invested in a rental property in his hometown of Winnipeg.[10](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/meet-chris-driedger-professional-goaltender-and-film-maker/)
## References
1. [Chris Driedger, Player Profile, NHLPA.com](https://www.nhlpa.com/player/4052/chris-driedger/)
2. [Vancouver Canucks sign goaltender Chris Driedger to a PTO; hire Sean Finn as amateur scout, Canucks Communications, August 27, 2026](https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-goaltender-chris-driedger-to-a-pto-hire-sean-finn-as-amateur-scout)
3. [Driedger of Kraken to miss start of next season with knee injury, NHL.com, June 7, 2022](https://www.nhl.com/news/goalie-chris-driedger-to-miss-start-of-season-for-seattle-kraken-334532096)
4. [Chris Driedger Stats, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/d/driedch01.html)
5. [Chris Driedger #60, NHL media guide document](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/k7s0yitkqdorhrlhekgb.pdf)
6. [Chris Driedger, Elite Prospects](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/59689/chris-driedger)
7. [Chris Driedger Stats and Player Profile, TheAHL.com](https://theahl.com/stats/player/5570)
8. [Chris Driedger, hockeygoalies.org biography](https://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/driedger.html)
9. [Chris Driedger, NHL Goaltender Career & Stats, InGoal Magazine](https://ingoalmag.com/goaltenders/chris-driedger/)
10. [Meet Chris Driedger, professional goaltender and film maker, NHLPA.com](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/meet-chris-driedger-professional-goaltender-and-film-maker/)
11. [The Canadian Press report on the Driedger-Kähkönen trade, March 6, 2025](https://canespr.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/clips030725.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Goaltenders*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license