The Seattle Kraken have placed goaltender Chris Driedger on injured reserve. News of the backup netminder’s injury came via the team’s PR Twitter account on Tuesday.
The #SeaKraken have made the following roster moves:
-Yanni Gourde has been activated off of IR
-Joey Daccord has been recalled from the Charlotte Checkers
-Chris Driedger has been placed on IR
-Kole Lind has been reassigned to Charlotte pic.twitter.com/758RuMlDPZ— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) October 19, 2021
Goalie Chris Driedger Moved To Injured Reserve
Chris Driedger hasn’t started a game this season for the Kraken but was called into action in the second period of the team’s 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night. Stopping six of seven shots in relief, the 27-year-old didn’t raise any suspicion of sustaining an injury during his first league outing.
However, the team announced his injured reserve designation just two hours before what many thought would be his first start for Seattle against the New Jersey Devils. This leaves either Philipp Grubauer or Joey Daccord as the two goaltending options in the immediate future.
The Kraken acquired Driedger during the Expansion Draft after Florida chose to protect veteran Sergei Bobrovsky. Overall, the former Panther has played in just 39 NHL games, recording a .929 save percentage.
What This Means Going Forward
It seems to be one in, one out, right now for the Kraken. Having just activated Yanni Gourde off of injured reserve, they now have to designate their backup netminder to miss a minimum of 10 days. As a result, former Ottawa Senators goalie, Joey Daccord has been called up from the Charlotte Checkers, Seattle’s AHL affiliate.
All being well, Driedger’s injury won’t be longstanding. After his annus mirabilis last season, (a .927 save percentage in 23 games), the Kraken will hope they too will soon profit from his current form. Last season, Money Puck, had him ranked 13th in goals saved above expected out of 67 goaltenders.
Now going on injured reserve, Driedger will miss at least four games. This week, the Kraken play the Devils on Tuesday before facing the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, which is their home opener. Should Joey Daccord start one of those games, it will be just his 10th game in his NHL career.
