For many teams, there is a clear-cut number one goalie carrying them into the playoffs. Igor Shesterkin for the New York Rangers, Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ilya Sorokin for the New York Islanders are some clear number-one goalies to name a few. However, for the Carolina Hurricanes, the goalie is not a position that seems to have a clear-cut winner for the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Carolina Hurricanes Goalie Rotation
Somewhat like last season, this year has seen the Carolina Hurricanes utilize three different goalies. Each has shown reasons (and sometimes reasons not) to be the number one guy. While many teams utilize a true starting/backup goalie model, the Hurricanes seem to implore (maybe out of necessity) more of a weighted rotation-type method. It has worked decently at this point as each of Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov have held their own. But will the Hurricanes goalie by committee work come playoffs or should there be a go-to guy?
Frederik Andersen
Frederik Andersen is the Carolina Hurricanes de facto number-one goalie. The Hurricanes signed him to a two-year deal as a free agent after the 2020-21 season. After Carolina drafted Andersen in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL Draft, Andersen re-entered the draft. The Anaheim Ducks then selected him in the third round in 2012. Years later, Carolina got him back as a free agent after he established himself as a fairly reliable starting goaltender. Over his career, Andersen has a 2.58 GAA and .915 SV%. In 33 games this season, those numbers are a 2.43 GAA and .904 SV%. Meanwhile, with his GAA and SV% slightly under career average, Andersen has a -3.9 goals saved above expected.
Andersen is a big goalie at 6’ 4” and 238 pounds and plays a very calm, composed style. He usually plays the angles and relies on his position to make saves, sometimes making it look effortless. His style and ability usually have bode fairly well for Andersen but this year has been a little off. His -3.9 goals saved above expected is not what you would want for a starting goalie.
And even though a large portion of the goals scored on Andersen are products of the team in front of him, he does have a tendency to let in a soft goal or two a game. For a team that is searching for scoring help and relies heavily on defence, giving up a goal or two a game does not really fit into their game plan. But then after letting in a soft one, he will make multiple highlight reel saves moments later to keep the team in the game.
Overall, Andersen has had decent numbers and was an All-Star in 2022, but he also has had some injury trouble. He spent a large portion of this season out with a lower-body injury. He also was hurt last year before the playoffs, shutting him down for the rest of the year. At the moment he is healthy but constantly missing time can disrupt any type of rhythm that Andersen may look to get from time to time.
Antti Raanta
Antti Raanta came to the Hurricanes at the same time as Andersen as a free agent. The 33-year-old veteran was signed as the Hurricanes de facto backup goalie but has seen time as the starter while Andersen has been out with injury. Together, Raanta and Andersen won the William M. Jennings Award last year for least goals against among a goalie tandem playing at least 25 games. They really have operated more like a 1A and 1B pair than a true starter and backup. This has spanned over this season too. Raanta has taken 26 starts this season in 81 games the Hurricanes have played while also missing some time to injury. Over that span, Raanta has a 0.9 goals saved above expected, 2.23 GAA and .910 SV%.
Over his career, Raanta has a 2.14 GAA and .918 SV%. He started as a backup to Henrik Lundqvist with the New York Rangers. Then he played a few years for the Arizona Coyotes before signing with Carolina. Joining the large contingent of Finns on the Hurricanes, Raanta has served as a stable presence in the net and almost a father figure to many of the younger players. While Raanta will have games where he gives up a few, he also has four shutouts this season. He has had numerous games where he backstopped the Hurricanes to a win they otherwise should have lost. Most recently, he went on a 17 game point streak until losing to the Buffalo Sabres in regulation on April 8. Always a hard worker with laser focus, Raanta may be Carolina’s most consistent goalie this season all things considered.
Pyotr Kochetkov
While Raanta and Andersen have served as the top two goalies this season and last, the young Pyotr Kochetkov has made a name for himself as the Carolina Hurricanes likely goalie of the future. Drafted in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Kochetkov came over to North America from Russia last season. He mostly spent time in the AHL but also saw a lot of time, including playoff time, with the Hurricanes in Andersen or Raanta’s absence.
He only has two partial NHL seasons under his belt but this year he has put up some very decent numbers in 23 starts. His GAA is 2.44 and SV % is .909, which is almost exactly on par with his career averages. As far as goals saved above expected, he is at 4.9, good enough for 21st in the NHL for goalies with at least 20 games played. Like Raanta, Kochetkov has four shutouts.
The least experienced of the three goalies, Kochetkov also plays a fairly different game than Andersen or Raanta. Somewhat like a Jonathan Quick, he relies more on his athleticism than the positioning to make saves. Unlike Quick though he is not really a small goalie at 6’ 3” and 203 pounds. He wears his heart on his sleeve and plays with a lot of emotion. At times he has even engaged in altercations with opposing players (or even a whole team). He plays with confidence and does not seem to be afraid. This includes scoring a goalie goal with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL this season.
While he has shown a lot of promise and will most likely be the starting goalie in the near future, there are still some areas of his game that have holes. Sometimes he can overcommit and get himself out of position or expose his five-hole. But just as easily as he can get out of position he can make acrobatic saves to recover. With some fine-tuning, he can truly be a great goaltender for the Hurricanes down the road.
Looking for a Winner
So out of the three capable goalies that the Hurricanes have in store, it is almost anyone’s guess who should be the starter come playoff time. Based on pure ability and experience, you would say Andersen. Based on who feels the most reliable for consistency, you would say Raanta. And if you look purely at stats, you would say Kochetkov. Or is it smart to plan on a rotation? This is what the Hurricanes have been doing down the stretch here lately (but frankly the results of late are not really showing that as being a success, albeit not sure if that is all on goaltending).
It is common to see a hot goaltender take over in the playoffs and the team rally around him. So much can be said too about how a team plays in front of a goaltender. If the team feels like they are having to “cushion” the goalie that can lead to more conservative play. Raanta’s record is 25-18-3 while Andersen’s is 20-11-1 and Kochetkov’s is 12-7-5. Based on the records this year it is fairly even with Andersen having the slight edge in win percentage.
Raanta Looks Like the Carolina Hurricanes Frontrunner for Goalie
However, based on the eye test, Raanta is the goalie that the team seems to play in front of the best. He has carried the heaviest load too. With the injury to Andrei Svechnikov and the team’s preference to play a tighter, lower-scoring game, it seems like Raanta is the goalie to start with come playoffs. Considering the fairly equal individual stats minus Andersen’s low goals saved above expected, Raanta appears to be the best choice to at least start out. He has the experience and has been stable in net for the Hurricanes, especially as of late. The Hurricanes could recall Kochetkov and there would be three goalies in the mix too.
With that said, it would not surprise me though if Rod Brind’Amour started with Andersen. There isn’t overwhelming evidence to point to that being the “wrong” decision based on most numbers. Even with his negative goals saved above expected, they may feel he still gives them the best chance to win based on ability. Whoever the starter is, they will need to be dialled in come playoffs.
The Carolina Hurricanes Using an Unconventional Goalie Rotation
It is also very possible to see a rotation of the Carolina Hurricanes goalie position. This is especially true given the lack of a clear winner. While not historically conventional, this is something that teams occasionally utilize for various reasons. While the playoffs is really the final sprint to the finish, there could be a benefit to giving guys rest. On the flip side, there is a benefit to giving guys the ability to get in a rhythm. There could also be key matchups that affect this decision. If a team scores more from the perimeter a bigger, more positionally reliant goalie to cut the angles may be used. Then a more agile goalie may be used against a team that scores more in tight. Barry Trotz utilized this when he was coaching in the AHL during the 1996 Calder Cup Playoffs and it worked fairly well.
Keep in mind that whoever starts game one is not necessarily who the Hurricanes are married to. When they won the Stanley Cup in 2006, veteran Martin Gerber carried the team all through the regular season. After a few starts in the playoffs, they switched to the rookie Cam Ward. Ward carried the team to a Stanley Cup Championship and won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to what happens in the playoffs. Having the ability to pivot can be a major benefit. Again, Raanta seems to be the guy to start with. However, will we see a Kochetkov come up and steal the show like Ward? It is very possible.
Main Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
