Kraken signs Driedger as part of Expansion Draft. It’s the ideal outcome for Panthers

Chris Driedger is officially heading to the Seattle Kraken as part of the new team’s expansion process, which means the Florida Panthers won’t lose any current players in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on Wednesday.

The Kraken added Driedger, who finished last regular season tied for fourth in the NHL in save percentage, as its selection from the Panthers after Florida left him unprotected ahead of the 2021 Expansion Draft. Seattle will give the goaltender an opportunity to become a full-time starter after he spent the last two seasons serving as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup in Broward County.

He’s also being positioned as a potential face of the franchise. He was the one of the first players announced as part of the Expansion Draft on Wednesday and was in Washington to become the first player to wear the team’s new jersey.

“It’s a life changing moment for me, for sure. It’s been a long road,” Driedger told ESPN after being announced in the Draft. “I spent a few years in the minors and, yeah, went from Florida for the last few seasons, but to have my start here with the expansion team in Seattle and be a part of the Kraken is pretty incredible, so I’m really excited to get things started.”

Last season, Driedger and Bobrovsky split starts almost evenly, with Bobrovsky starting 30 and Driedger 23, and Driedger posted a .927 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average. The Panthers, however, required to protect Bobrovsky because the goaltender has a no-movement clause. Teams were only allowed to protect goalie.

Driedger was always unlikely to be back in Florida next year, though. Bobrovsky is under contract through 2025 and making $7.5 million per year, and fellow goaltender Spencer Knight ultimately beat out both Bobrovsky and Driedger in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs to start the Panthers’ final two games as a 20-year-old rookie. Knight is the No. 27 prospect in hockey, according to ESPN.com, and Florida wants to give him a chance to win the starting job sooner rather than later. With the Panthers hamstrung by Bobrovsky’s record contract and no-move clause, there was no realistic path for Driedger to stay in Florida.

“We would like to thank Chris for his contributions to the Panthers and we wish him the best as he prepares to open the next chapter of his career in Seattle,” general manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “His story is one of perseverance, and we were happy to play a part in it over the past several seasons at both the AHL and NHL levels. Although I only knew him for one season, I can safely say that he left an indelible mark on both teammates and fans.”

Driedger was an unrestricted free agent, but expansion rules granted the Kraken an exclusive negotiating window with unprotected, unrestricted free agents from Sunday through Wednesday. Seattle used the four-day window to strike an agreement with Driedger and pluck him away from the Panthers, even bringing him to the Draft to wear the jersey on stage on ESPN.

The Kraken ultimately signed Driedger rather than using its expansion pick to take defenseman Radko Gudas or wingers Frank Vatrano, Noel Acciari or Ryan Lomberg, all of whom were unprotected. Seattle also could have used the window to sign defenseman Brandon Montour or forward Alex Wennberg — unrestricted free agents also left unprotected by Florida.

The Panthers used some aggressive maneuvering in the week leading into the NHL Expansion Draft to make sure it could protect several of its most valuable potential. On Thursday, Florida bought out Keith Yandle, who had a no-movement clause, which let them protect fellow defenseman Gustav Forsling from the Kraken. Forsling, whom the Panthers signed off waivers in the days before the 2020-21 NHL season began, emerged as an unlikely first-pairing player, playing next to MacKenzie Weegar after fellow defenseman Aaron Ekblad fractured his leg in March.

Forsling, who was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason, signed a three-year extension Thursday after Florida bought out Yandle, as did winger Anthony Duclair, who was also set to be a restricted free agent.

On Saturday, the Panthers sent their list of protected players to the league, using the maximum of 11 by going with a breakdown of one goalie, three defensemen and seven forwards. The full list: Bobrovsky, Weegar, Ekblad, Forsling, Duclair and forwards Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Carter Verhaeghe, Patric Hornqvist, Sam Bennett and Mason Marchment. While Bennett is set to become a restricted free agent later this month and could sign elsewhere, general manager Bill Zito said the Panthers intend to bring back the versatile forward and they’ll have the right to match any contract offered.

With those 11 locked up and several other important contributors exempt from the Draft, the Panthers guaranteed they’d have most of their core back from their breakthrough season. Verhaeghe, Barkov and Duclair made up Florida’s most frequent first line. Huberdeau, Bennett and rookie right wing Owen Tippett, who was exempt from the Draft because of his experience level, finished the year as the Panthers’ second line. Hornqvist was a staple on the power play, and Weegar, Ekblad and Forsling combined to play nearly every game on the top defensive pairing. Even Bobrovsky, who was a healthy scratch for Florida’s final two games in the Cup playoffs, is a potential important piece, with Knight still just months removed from playing college hockey for the Boston College Eagles.