Sharks, Kahkonen avoid arbitration with 2-year deal

The San Jose Sharks re-signed restricted free-agent goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen to a two-year contract, the team announced Monday.

The deal carries an average annual value of $2.75 million, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Kahkonen was one of 24 RFAs to file for salary arbitration before Sunday's deadline.

"Kaapo has shown potential to be a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL and impressed us when he joined our team in the last part of the season," general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. "We are excited to have him with us."

The 25-year-old posted a .912 save percentage and a 2.87 goals against average in 36 games last season, split between the Sharks and the Minnesota Wild. San Jose acquired him, along with a fifth-round pick, in exchange for defenseman Jacob Middleton at last year's trade deadline.

Kahkonen, a 6-foot-2 Finn, was originally a fourth-round pick by the Wild in 2014. He owns a .908 save percentage in 65 NHL appearances across three seasons.

The Sharks now have three NHL-caliber goaltenders under contract for the coming season: Kahkonen, James Reimer, and Adin Hill. It's possible, however, that one is traded before the 2022-23 campaign gets underway.

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