George Richards, FHN Publisher
FORT LAUDERDALE — Chris Driedger is new to the Florida Panthers this season, but the goalie really is not new to the Florida Panthers.
After three seasons with the Seattle Kraken, Driedger was welcomed back to the Panthers with open arms.
Sure, some things may have changed around here since he was taken by Seattle in the 2021 Expansion Draft, but enough has remained the same where Driedger feels right at home.
His locker stall to start training camp is right next to Sergei Bobrovsky, just as it was before.
Driedger spent two seasons with the Panthers from 2019-21 after being in their minor league system during the 2018-19 campaign.
Both of his seasons in Florida were impacted by the pandemic.
“It was a pretty easy decision,” Driedger told Florida Hockey Now on Friday. “I have very fond memories of being in Florida, lots of winning. I was playing well, our team was playing well. Great guys, great coaching.
“It was great coming back here, seeing some familiar faces. Obviously there are some new faces, but having that base of guys who I know so well and played with for a couple of years is awesome.’’
Driedger said he and Bobrovsky have a fantastic relationship which some may find at least a little surprising based on how things were going for Bobrovsky back when Driedger was here last.
When Driedger first burst upon the scene with the Panthers, it was due to Bobrovsky getting benched by coach Joel Quenneville in 2019.
Regardless, Driedger said, Bobrovsky always treated him great.
Driedger had been called up from the minors when Sam Montembeault was sent to AHL Springfield to get more playing time.
But when Bobrovsky gave up four goals on 20 shots in a loss at Washington the night before Thanksgiving, Quenneville benched his high-profile new goalie and gave Driedger his first NHL start the next game out.
Driedger pitched a shutout of Nashville, and basically stayed with the Panthers from then on.
Yet regardless of how poorly things were going for Bobrovsky — and, how good they were going for Driedger — the two always got along.
The grace and humility Bobrovsky has shown publicly over the past few years was much more guarded and private back then.
But those character qualities were there all along.
“Bob is the man. He was so good to me when I was here and was really a mentor for me just coming into the NHL,” said Driedger, who replaced Bobrovsky on a number of occasions including against the Lightning in the 2021 playoffs.
“He’s a two-time Vezina winner and one of the best to ever to do it. He was always extremely good to me, super positive and supportive, and I learned a lot from him.
“Coming back and seeing him now after he won the Stanley Cup, I could not be more happy for the guy. He absolutely earned it in every sense of the term. So, so happy for him and it is really good to be able to spend some time around him again.’’
If there was any perceived jealousy between Driedger and Bobrovsky over the way things went in Bobrovsky’s first two seasons with the Panthers, Driedger says it never went down that way.
“There were times when they were playing me a few games in a row,’’ Driedger said, “and we would win. There was zero animosity. He would come to me and say ‘man, you are playing great hockey. Super fun to watch. Keep it going.’
“There are not a lot of guys who would say that in that situation. I remember that specifically. That tells you all you need to know about his character. He is an awesome, awesome guy.’’
Although there are a lot of new faces around the Panthers since he was last here — including almost the entire coaching staff — Driedger says getting to work with goalie coach Robb Tallas was one reason why he jumped at the chance to return to Florida.
“Any opportunity to work with Robb Tallas again is a no-brainer,” he said. “He is great, just has a demeanor about him which helps guys. Being around him makes me feel confident and that makes my game better. And, he is just an incredible technical coach.’’
As is the case with a few players in camp with the Panthers, Driedger is looking for a reset.
He was celebrated in Seattle during the expansion draft, but not long later, the Kraken signed Phillip Grubauer who ended up getting a lot of the starts that first season.
Knee injuries were problematic, with Driedger playing just two games for the Kraken the past two seasons.
In three seasons with the Kraken, Driedger only played in 29 games for Seattle.
One of his 10 wins came on Nov. 27, 2021, when he made 33 saves in a 4-1 win against the Panthers in Sunrise.
It was Driedger’s first win with his new team and it snapped Florida’s franchise record 11-game home winning streak to start the season.
“It was an exciting time,’’ Driedger said of being with a new team in a new market. “They brought us all out in the summer, introduced us all and Seattle really embraced us right off the bat. It was incredible. I think we all would have liked to come out of it with some more in the win column, but it was a fun experience. I have fond memories of Seattle, but I am moving on now back to South Florida.’’
He spent most of last season with Coachella Valley, where he helped the Firebirds to the Calder Cup final.
Driedger, 30, says he comes into camp healthy and ready to battle.
“I feel good and my game is in a good place,” Driedger said. “I played a ton of games at Coachella, a couple in Seattle, and I feel good. I feel ready to play in the NHL at a high level and that’s kind of why I am here.’’
Florida’s main goalie rotation coming into this season is the same as it was at the end of 2021: Bobrovsky, Driedger, and Spencer Knight.
Bobrovsky and Knight are expected to be Florida’s goalie tandem when the season starts after Driedger signed a two-way deal with the Panthers on July 1.
He will probably start the season with AHL Charlotte.
But as we have seen before, Driedger can do the job in net for the Panthers when called upon.
“We will see what happens,’’ Driedger said. “I just want to play my game. There are some great players here, so it is fun to go up against the best. It’s great to see Barky again; we have a healthy competition out there where we keep track of the goals in practice so that’s fun. We have a good time here.
“But aside from Tallas, this is a new coaching staff for me. I just want to show them what I am about and get them comfortable with me so, when the time comes, they won’t hesitate.’’
Driedger being in camp should push Knight a bit, although with a $4.5 million contract, it is doubtful Florida is willing to take a $3.5 million cap hit by sending Knight back to Charlotte for a second straight season.
Coach Paul Maurice said Friday that he has three NHL goalies in camp.
Things usually have a way of working themselves out.
“I don’t think a goaltender having a really good exhibition or a poor one changes their fortune,” Maurice said. “We expect all the guys who get in to look a certain way and they will need to do that, for sure. We’ll see how that structures out. There are some moving parts. But we know we have three guys who can play with NHL experience.”