June 3, 2025 – Reports are circulating that Former Seattle Kraken goalie Chris Driedger is showing interest in retiring from the NHL and signing with the Kontinental Hockey League’s (KHL) Traktor Chelyabinsk. The move could be a bold new opportunity for the veteran netminder who spent little time between the pipes the last two years between injury and trades. An official statement from the player has yet to be made.
The KHL is considered to be the strongest hockey league in Europe and the second-strongest in the world behind the NHL. The KHL was founded in 2008 and includes teams from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and China, among other nations.
In March 2025, Chris Driedger was traded to the Winnipeg Jetsfrom the Florida Panthers in exchange for goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen. Drafted fourth overall by the Seattle Kraken in 2021, he signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal but was relegated to a backup role after the team added Philipp Grubauer.
The 31-year-old Winnipeg native began his NHL career with the Ottawa Senators in 2014, later signing a two-year extension with the Panthers in 2019.
In 2024–25, Driedger played 20 games for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, posting a 10-6-4 record, a 2.97 GAA, and a .878 save percentage.
Limited by an ACL injury from the 2022 World Men’s Championship, he appeared in just two games for Seattle in 2023–24, going 1-1-0 with a 2.51 GAA and a .917 SV%. Following his nine-month recovery Driedger played with the Kraken’s AHL affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 AHL seasons.
Driedger’s former team the Florida Panthers are scheduled to play Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, June 4th.
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