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Winnipeg Jets Goaltender Walks Away from the Team and Signs Overseas

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 10:57 AM ET

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Chris Driedger has decided to walk away from the team and head overseas, signing a contract with a team in Russia.

The time has come to say goodbye to one of the Winnipeg Jets' goaltenders, as Chris Driedger has decided to leave the team and sign a contract overseas in Russia.

The deal is for one year with Traktor, which will officially end Driedger's time in the NHL.

The Jets acquired Driedger at the trade deadline from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen, bringing the Winnipeg native home for the first time in his career, which was a nice sight for fans.

The 31-year-old didn't play in any games with the Jets, but dressed in five games with the AHL's Manitoba Moose, recording an .872 save percentage and a 3.30 GAA.

Driedger's career NHL numbers were actually very respectable

Driedger was drafted in the third round, with the 76th overall pick, in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He would go on to play 67 games in the NHL, posting a solid .917 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA.

His career was split between the Senators, the Seattle Kraken, the Panthers, and the Jets, but he was never able to lock down a permanent role, playing a career-high 27 games with Seattle in the 2021-22 season.

Driedger will be joining a Traktor team that lost in the Gagarin Cup finals this season. Their roster consisted of top free agent Maxim Shabonov, former top-10 pick Vitali Kravtsov as well as Canadian goaltender Zach Fucale.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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