By Jayd Serdy, edited by Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - Amidst a quiet part of the current NHL offseason, the Seattle Kraken have announced a somewhat surprising signing amongst their 2024 draft class. The NHL’s youngest franchise announced the news that they’ve signed goaltender Kim Saarinen, the 88th overall pick in round three of the 2024 entry draft, to his entry-level contract at an average annual value of $975,000. Saarinen is a seventeen-year-old, six-foot four-inch goalie from Finland, whose above average size gives him a clear advantage. He was described by Elite Prospects as “one of the top puck-tracking goaltenders in this draft class,” possessing very good balance and is great at following quick-developing plays around the zone.

Seattle Kraken 2024 3rd round draft pick and goaltender Kim Saarinen during this years Kraken development camp. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)

During the 2023-24 season, Saarinen played on the HPK U18, HPK U20, HPK and Finland U18 teams. He played in 34 games over the season, 23 of those games being with the HPK U20 where he held a .917 save percentage and a 2.41 GAA. While he was with the HPK U18 team, Saarinen played in nine games with a .945 save percentage and a 1.66 GAA.

Saarinen tends to keep access to his edges, and is patient while the puck is passed around the zone, making quick adjustments and has an above average tracking ability. Kim occasionally lets the puck get into a dangerous position, showing that he still has some developing to do. Saarinen has a high ceiling and with more game play, could be seen as a goaltender of the future for the Kraken considering that the netminders Seattle has selected in previous draft classes haven’t necessarily made major impacts in their development quite yet. The current situation for Kraken goaltenders is an interesting one looking up and down the board, as the duo at the NHL is set unless Seattle finds legitimate reason to buyout Philipp Grubauer and get someone else alongside Joey Daccord, but beyond that is where things get interesting. At the AHL level, Ales Stezka is the only goaltender from last season that got consistent starts as Chris Driedger signed a deal this offseason to return to the Florida Panthers. Jack LaFontaine held things down with the ECHL affiliate of the Kraken, the Kansas City Mavericks, while other goalies behind him were numerous due to injuries. The Kraken did sign Victor Östman, a collegiate free agent, to an entry-level contract back in April so they may view him as an option, but it’s going to be interesting to see how Seattle will handle their goaltender situation throughout their system and to see what their plan will be within their affiliates with the signings of Östman and now Saarinen, plus anything else they may do netminder-related in this offseason.

Notes on Kim Saarinen

• The six-foot-four, 181-pound Finn spent most of the 2023-24 season on HPK’s U20 squad, posting a 14-5 record with two shutouts, a 2.41 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. His save percentage was second among all SM-sarja U20 netminders in 2023-24. His efforts earned him the U20 SM-sarja Best Goalie award and a spot on the U20 First All-Star Team. In 11 games between HPK’s U18 and Finnish Elite (Liiga) squads, he posted a 9-1-1 record in the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

• Saarinen has spent his entire career in the HPK system from 2020-21 to 2023-24, making stops with their U16, U18, U20 and Liiga teams. In total, Saarinen has appeared in 89 regular-season games in the HPK system for an overall record of 48-22-1 and eight games in the postseason. 

• The Hämeenlinna, Finland, native represented his country in the IIHF U18 World Championships and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (both in 2023-24) and the 2022-23 U17 World Hockey Challenge, winning a bronze medal with the team. 

What’s next?

For now, we remain in a quieter period of the NHL offseason between development camp which took place in the beginning of this month and training camp, which should take place in the middle of September, based on when other teams around the league have announced the start of their respective camps. The first preseason game of the 2024-25 season for the Kraken doesn’t come until September 22nd when Seattle hosts the Calgary Flames at Climate Pledge Arena with a puck drop time of 7PM PDT, so things may remain dormant until closer to that month. Outside of training camp, it would be surprising if the Kraken are done making moves for this year, considering that they’ve reportedly been in trade talks to acquire forwards as well as to move forward Brandon Tanev, given his salary, which line he plays on, and the lack of production he’s shown.

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