Jets goalie hopeful an epicurean By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 6:43 PM CDT Friday, Sep. 20, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/09/2024 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Get him away from the rink and you’ll likely find Kaapo Kähkönen preparing a fancy meal or sampling a fine wine.

“I like cooking a lot. I enjoy it. I enjoy a glass of wine with a meal, and kind of the history and culture around it as well,” the 28-year-old Finnish goaltender told the Free Press in a wide-ranging one-on-one chat Friday.

“There’s so many cool things about that. I’ve obviously been fortunate to travel around the world and see different places and wine is something that connects people.”

Kähkönen is now hoping his good taste extends beyond grub and grapes to his choice of hockey clubs after signing a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets this past summer.

From the outside, it might seem like a curious choice. Why would any netminder want to come and serve as the understudy to four-time Vezina Trophy nominee and two-time winner Connor Hellebuyck? Isn’t that a bit like being the Maytag repairman, given the heavy and very productive workload the No. 1 masked man carries?

“Clearly, they’ve been a good team over the last few years. The goalies here have all had success lately. As a goalie, you look at those things and you think where did that come from?” Kähkönen explained.

“What I’ve heard and what I’ve seen now is the goaltending coaching here, the whole set-up and everything is phenomenal.”

For all the hits Winnipeg may take as a less-than-desirable destination for plenty of free agents, it would appear the opposite is true for puck-stoppers. The Jets are viewed as a goalie factory — not only for what Hellebuyck has become, but for the career years recent back-ups Eric Comrie and, most recently, Laurent Brossoit have had while in town.

Goaltending coach Wade Flaherty plays a big part in that.

“He’s been great to be dealing with the first few days here. Obviously, it’s early. But a very warm welcome,” said Kähkönen.

“From a team’s perspective, guys are working hard buying in, That’s awesome to see. I just saw it as a great opportunity to go to a great team and win some games, which I obviously haven’t been doing a lot lately the last couple years. That would be awesome to go back in the playoffs and make a run.”

Indeed, it’s been a rough couple of years for Kähkönen playing for the worst NHL team. A personal 15-40-10 record with the sad-sack San Jose Sharks has been tough to swallow for the 2014 fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild.

“That’s what I love the most is winning. There’s just nothing like it in the locker room after the game with the guys. That’s just what drives me,” said Kähkönen. “That’s something I’m really looking forward to accomplishing with this team this year.”

First, he’s going to have to earn the backup spot. For the first time in years, there’s a crease competition underway. Comrie is back with the organization for another go-around and will be trying to prove he deserves another NHL shot after a couple of difficult campaigns with the Buffalo Sabres.

Either Kähkönen, who is making US $1 million or Comrie, who inked a one-year pact for US $825,000, will be placed on waivers with the intention of being assigned by the Jets to the Manitoba Moose as an insurance policy of sorts, provided another team doesn’t put a claim in.

The battle heats up this weekend with Kähkönen expected to start in net Saturday night as the Jets host his original big-league team, the Wild, in their first of six preseason games. Comrie will get the net on Sunday as the Jets visit Edmonton to face the Oilers.

“I would describe him as calm and cool. I don’t think he ever gets too worked up one way or the other,” was the scouting report offered by Mason Shaw, who is also attending his first Jets training camp this year after signing a free agent deal this summer.

The two began their pro careers together with the Iowa Wild of the AHL in 2018-19. The following year, Kähkönen was named the AHL’s goaltender of the year.

“Just a tremendous competitor and a tremendous goalie,” said Shaw.

Kähkönen has certainly had NHL success at Canada Life Centre. Last season, he stopped 38 of 39 shots as the Sharks came to Winnipeg and lost 1-0.

“I remember, we came here after the All Star break. The Jets had played a few games, and we just got out of the break, and I was cramping hard,” he said of seeing plenty of rubber that night. It was a similar story in a 2022 game when he turned aside 27 of 28 shots in a 2-0 defeat (the second goal was into an empty-net).

No doubt he’ll be hoping the team in front of him at the downtown rink can provide a bit more offensive support this season.

Count Jets coach Scott Arniel is among those excited to see what Kähkönen can do for the club.

“Not a lot of guys want to come in and follow a guy that plays 55, 60 games (like Hellebuyck), but he was pretty keen to come. I think that, for him, he’s still a young goaltender that’s trying to establish himself,” said Arniel.

Kähkönen will no doubt be looking to follow a similar path to Brossoit, who excelled last year in limited backup duty with the Jets but parlayed that into a two-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks this past summer that included a massive raise to US $3.3 million annually.

“Every goalie obviously wants to play every single game. That’s no different with me. But I’m not stupid,” Kähkönen said of the situation in Winnipeg with Hellebuyck.

“What he’s doing here for quite a long time, he’s been amazing for this team and organization. So, yes, you have to be patient. I understand the situation. You know what I always found, too, is when you get to see a great player, a great athlete, a great goalie from up close, that can really be a great thing to be able to watch him as well.”

In the meantime, look for Kähkönen to potentially add some extra flavour to upcoming road trips as the team’s unofficial food critic and sommelier. Ideally, they’ll be plenty to celebrate along the way — and maybe the ultimate sip next June from a very special Cup.

“Same as winning a game or spending time with guys in the room, what I enjoy is sitting down for a meal with friends or family and enjoying quality time,” he said.

“I’ll kind of see what the guys are doing here. I don’t want to be too aggressive. But I like when guys like wine, too. It’s cool to talk about it and taste. Obviously during the season you have a day off, try to take it easy, rest. Take care of yourself. A glass of wine here or there won’t be bad.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg