Minnesota Wild fans may have recognized a name on the NHL transaction wire on Sunday. After a year of bouncing around AHL franchises, old friend Kaapo Kahkonen is back in the league. The former Minnesota Wild goaltender was recalled from the Laval Rocket by the Montreal Canadiens as starter Samuel Montembeault is dealing with an illness.
The Finnish netminder was drafted with the Wild’s 4th round pick 2014 (109th overall), a selection that came nine picks before the New York Rangers picked Igor Shesterkin. Hindsight is a heck of a drug, eh? Kahkonen spent the next few seasons playing in his native FInland before making the journey over to North America.
Following two strong seasons in Iowa, he made his NHL debut as a 23-year-old in the 2019-20 season. He spent the following season backing up Cam Talbot and would post a 31-17-4, .907 SV%, and a 2.88 GAA in 54 appearances.
His tenure as a back-up in Minnesota would come to an end on March 21, 2022 when he was traded to San Jose with a 5th-round pick for Jake Middleton. Don’t worry, San Jose replenished their supply of Jakes when they used that pick to draft Jake Furlong. The reason the Wild divested themselves of Kahkonen’s services was because they had acquired Marc-Andre Fleury. Not a bad day of general managing if we do say so ourselves.
The life of a back-up netminder is never an easy one. San Jose sent him to New Jersey at the trade deadline in 2024. Winnipeg signed him as a free agent that summer and then the fun began:
Claimed off waivers 10/11/24 by Colorado
Claimed off waivers 11/12/24 by WInnipeg
Traded to Florida 3/6/25 for Chris Driedger
He would appear in one game for the Avalanche, a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The rest of the time was spent in the AHL where played for the Colorado Eagles, Manitoba Moose, and Charlotte Checkers.
Montreal signed him this past summer and he had a role as a back-up to top-rated prospect Jacob Fowler in Laval. Rather than have Fowler sit on the bench in Montreal while Montembeault recovered from his illness, they recalled Kahkonen to serve as Jakub Dobes as the Canadiens finish up a homestand.
The Canadiens don’t have a back-to-back until the weekend, so there is a good chance Kahkonen won’t see any action. Still, it’s always nice to see an old friend back in the league.