The San Jose Sharks have avoided salary arbitration with Kaapo Kahkonen by re-signing their goaltender to a two-year deal worth $5.5 million. A hearing will not be necessary since the team locked up Kahkonen, who had asked for arbitration.
The 25-year-old was dealt to the Sharks from the Minnesota Wild last season and had a pretty solid year between the two teams. Kahkonen went 12-8-3, with a 2.87 GAA and .910 save percentage in 23 starts and 25 appearances with Minnesota. After the trade, the Finnish netminder sported a 2-6-1 mark but improved his GAA (2.86) and save percentage (.916) in 10 starts and 11 appearances with his new team.
It is an awfully crowded crease in San Jose as the Sharks currently have three goaltenders on their roster. James Reimer and Adin Hill join Kahkonen on the depth chart as goalies with at least a $2 million cap hit next year. It would not be surprising to see SJ move one of their stoppers.
FanDuel Sportsbook has San Jose near the bottom of the Stanley Cup futures list with long +30000 odds.
