As it stands, one team has punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. It has been a chaotic offseason so far. Between coaching carousels, general manager searches, and extension talks there is plenty of buzz to go around. Speaking of contract talks, one team to hone in on is the Carolina Hurricanes. Goaltender Frederik Andersen has expressed his desire to stick around.
Andersen Wants To Stay In Carolina
Rumour: Kayla Douglas From The Score Talks about Andersen staying in Carolina
Pending UFAs Staal, Andersen express desire to stay with Hurricanes https://t.co/BHcrZesTjG pic.twitter.com/I0FvCwKkSZ
— theScore NHL (@theScoreNHL) May 26, 2023
For year’s, goaltending has been a sore spot for the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite being a perennial contender there was a missing piece to the puzzle. For the first time in a long time, management solved that missing piece. After spending the better part of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Frederik Andersen inked a two-year deal with Carolina. Carolina has reaped the benefits of having his services. However, that time has now expired but he has expressed his desire to want to stay. Andersen went on to say, “My priority is to be back here. … I definitely believe in this group. We can do something special next year,”. A crucial offseason lies ahead for Carolina, but is it possible to keep him?
Carolina’s Future Outlook
Entering the summer, Carolina will have roughly $24 million in cap space. Both Andersen and tandem partner Antti Raanta are both pending free agents. In addition, the club extended Pyotr Kochetkov to a four year deal. It appears the future of the Carolina crease will feature him. However, he is one guy and the team will need another. That is where Andersen can come in.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen had successful tenures with Carolina. In his first season, he went on to post a 2.17 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. One standout thing for him was his 27.8 goals saved above expected. This season was a little bit different. Andersen would post a 2.48 GAA and .903 save percentage. However, his goals saved above expected plummeted to -4.3. Andersen was still good and reliable, but like many other years, he found himself injured.
His Remarkable Playoff Run
Andersen did not get the luxury of playing last year in the playoffs. Injuries plagued his season and he did not get the opportunity to perform in the playoffs. However, this year was an entirely different story. Raanta may have gotten the nod to start round one, but Andersen took over the rest of the way. Andersen is by no means a bad playoff performer. Throughout his career, he owns a .917 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average. This postseason he went 5-3, but posted a 1.83 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. In addition, he would finish fourth in goals saved above expected with 5.7.
With a young goalie in Kochetkov, keeping a veteran like Andersen may not be such a bad idea. The team has other pressing needs, but given the cap space an extension is possible. He could command more than the 4.5 million he was making per season.
Goaltending Stats Come From Money Puck
Main Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
