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Ex-Devils Goaltender Surprisingly Hits Waivers

Kaapo Kahkonen was waived by the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Will he go unclaimed?

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Former New Jersey Devils goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (makes a save against the New York Islanders during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Elmont, New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

It looks like the three-headed goalie monster in Winnipeg could be coming to an end. The Winnipeg Jets placed ex-New Jersey Devils goaltender, Kaapo Kahkonen, on waivers Thursday afternoon. Despite being named to the opening-night roster, Kahkonen now finds himself the odd-man out of the goalie rotation.



The Jets are seemingly favoring Eric Comrie as Connor Hellebuyck’s backup — at least to start the 2024-25 season.

Over the summer, the Jets signed Kahkonen to a one-year, $1 million contract with no clauses to protect the Finnish goaltender from any sort of movement.

The Devils moved on from Kahkonen after they traded for the 28-year-old netminder at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. The Devils sent goaltender Vitek Vanecek to the San Jose Sharks in exchange, escaping the final year of the Czech goaltenders contract.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald always intended on Jacob Markstrom becoming a Devil, and opted to keep Jake Allen as his backup.

Yet, Kahkonen posted some encouraging numbers with the Devils, accruing a .923 SV% and 2.51 GAA. The fancy stats also favored Kahkonen as he registered a 4.26 goals saved above expected rating (GSAx) and high danger SV% of .912.

In the preseason, Kahkonen didn’t exactly dazzle with Winnipeg. In two games, he accrued a 1-1-0 record, registering a .891 SV% and 3.03 GAA. Comrie’s SV% wasn’t much better at .893%, and his GAA was slightly better than Kahkonen’s at 2.59.

Kahkonen’s worst years all came with a rebuilding Sharks team. However, with more adequate structure in front of him — such as with the Devils and Minnesota Wild — he’s proven to be a steady, reliable goaltender.

It’s fair to wonder if the 28-year-old netminder makes it through waivers to head to Manitoba and play for the Moose.

Teams that come to mind that are in need of a solid goaltender — especially one with a low cap hit — are the Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, or Anaheim Ducks while John Gibson recovers from injury.

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