The Carolina Hurricanes have big decisions to make when it comes to goaltending this offseason. The only goalie under contract is the young Russian Pyotr Kochetkov. Both goaltenders from the past season, Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, are unrestricted free agents. There are also options available in free agency and through the trade market should Carolina decide to go one of those routes. So, let’s take a look at the direction General Manager Don Waddell may go.
Carolina Hurricanes Goaltending In Question
Carolina operated under a goalie-by-committee approach this season. They utilized the veterans Andersen and Raanta in conjunction with rookie goaltender Kochetkov almost evenly. Each goalie has their own style, but that approach largely worked well for the defensive first Carolina Hurricanes. The team finished second in the league in points and goals against, won the Metropolitan Division, and went to the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs. But now, both Andersen and Raanta are free agents and various questions arise. They have been very good, but is it enough while the team is in a very big “win-now” mode? Would a Vezina-calibre goalie be worth swinging for the fence for? Do either Andersen or Raanta take a team-friendly deal? Is Kochetkov ready to take the next step?
The Carolina Hurricanes Goaltending Over The Past Two Years
Both Andersen and Raanta signed with Carolina as free agents in the summer of 2021. In the 2021-22 season they played extremely well and won the William Jennings Trophy for having the fewest goals against (202) during the regular season for goalies who play a minimum of 25 games for the team. However, injuries would hit both goalies at times. Most notably, Andersen missed the end of the season and all of the playoffs due to injury. But Raanta played pretty well in Andersen’s absence, going six and five in the playoffs with a 2.26 GAA and .922 SV%.
This season both goalies played fairly well. Raanta went 19-3-0-3 this season and led the Hurricanes with 2.23 GAA and .910 SV% in 27 games played. He also tied Kochetkov with four shutouts. When Andersen was out with injury Raanta held down the starting position most of the time and did so very well. Andersen went 21-11-01 with a 2.48 GAA and a .903 SV%. He dipped a little statistically from last season and missed time due to injury but overall was decent. Splitting the net likely helped them both stay a little more rested for the playoffs. When the playoffs started, Andersen sat out with an illness and Raanta again stepped in. He was not necessarily outstanding statistically, but he did what was needed to carry the team all the way through most of the First Round.
Then Andersen came back, and he played lights out. Carolina saw a healthy Andersen in the playoffs for the first time and they liked what they saw. Andersen went five and three with a 1.83 GAA and .927 SV%. He was second for all goalies playing at least two games in the playoffs in GAA and fourth in goals saved above expected.
Staying The Course
The first option for Carolina’s goaltending is to resign both Raanta and Andersen. Reportedly, they are in talks with both goalies and the sense is that they want them both to return. Kochetkov is still waiver exempt so they could roll the same three goalies again next year. And this is not a bad option for Carolina.
As seen above, as a tandem Andersen and Raanta have played very well for Carolina. Their performances over the last two years showed that Carolina made a smart bet on this tandem. The fact that they both are reliable (as well as Kochetkov) also allowed for relief when injury troubles struck. This combined with lessening the workload on a starting goalie was a huge asset to the team.
The questions with resigning them both involve salary, injuries and consistency. To explain these in reverse order, for consistency the question with any goalie or player is can they replicate what they have done in previous years in the next year. This is always a question but to over generalize it, one thing to look at is age and durability. Both goalies have had some injury troubles, and both are over 32 years old. Based on their historical performances it doesn’t seem likely that there would be a drastic fall off, but some regression and injury trouble is possible.
The other issue for Carolina is that they are arguably at the top of the list for free agent goalies this offseason. They both would have a good chance of getting pay raises over their last year’s salaries. Andersen’s cap hit was 4.5 million while Raanta’s was 2 million. Both pretty good values based on their play. But Carolina’s biggest need is arguably adding goal scoring. Keeping that cap space available may affect these negotiations. Carolina also has many expiring contracts coming up in the next two years so that term could be a significant factor as well.
One Or The Other
While the reports seem to suggest the Hurricanes are interested in bringing both goalies back, it is very likely they just bring back one or the other. Maybe even more likely. A lot of who that is would rely on first the negotiations (who can they get the best deal on) and how the Carolina Hurricanes see their goaltending makeup. What I mean is really how do they see Kochetkov in the fold. If he is to be the starter or even a 1B, getting Raanta at a cheaper price than Andersen could be a decent move. In this scenario, you would probably see Kochetkov and Raanta splitting time fairly evenly all season.
If the Hurricanes see Kochetkov as a 1B to more of a backup still progressing to possibly become a starter, then Andersen may be the better move. Andersen is arguably more of the “starter” over Raanta. This would probably lead to the time being slightly more favored towards Andersen in net. With that said, Andersen does have a history of injury troubles so it seems very likely that Kochetkov could go stretches being the starter. But maybe that’s ok. Kochetkov showed last year that he has a lot of potential.
By bringing in one of Raanta or Andersen, Carolina would likely pair him with Kochetkov in net. They would also need to look to either sign a depth goalie to come up in a backup role due to injury or the less likely route is they actually sign or trade for more of a true NHL backup or even a starter (see below). Kochetkov is still waiver exempt so he could move up and down between the NHL and AHL freely.
The Free Agency Pool
As mentioned above, the free agency pool this offseason is a little thin. This is true at the goalie position as well as players. Andersen and Raanta are arguably two of the best free agent goalies available. If the Hurricanes look to the free agent pool, who they look at would be largely dependent on what they do with Andersen and/or Raanta and how they see Kochetkov. Looking for a true starting goalie, the names include the likes of Tristan Jarry, Joonas Korpisalo, and Martin Jones. Former starters in Jonathan Quick and Semyon Varlamov are also available. Then there is Laurent Brossoit and Adin Hill who are historically a little more unproven but had very good years for the Vegas Golden Knights. Alex Lyon had a fantastic season for the Florida Panthers as well and may get a pay raise, but is more of a journeyman.
But are any of these goalies truly better than Andersen? Or even Raanta or Kochetkov? It’s hard to say. In GAA Raanta and Andersen are third and fourth respectively for all free agent goalies available. Brossoit is second. For SV%, they are a little lower. Jarry’s SV% is higher than Andersen’s but not Raanta’s. Brossoit, Hill, Korpisalo and Varlamov’s respective SV% are all higher than both Andersen and Raanta.
With these numbers, there could be some options out there in free agency, but none are going to really be earth shattering. Carolina likely prefers the goalie by committee approach as it relieves workload and pressure so they could pull in an experienced goalie with that goal. However, because of their past play and the team’s familiarity with them, I’d argue none of these are a true upgrade over the Andersen/Raanta tandem. If Carolina needs a depth goalie to be a number three or four guy, they are more or less a dime a dozen and should come fairly cheap.
The Trade Route – Swinging for the Fence
The trade route is where this gets interesting. There are a few big-name goalies out their reportedly available the Carolina Hurricanes could acquire via trade to address their goaltending. The top prize is the Winnipeg Jets Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck is a Vezina Trophy finalist this season. He went 37-25-0-2 with a 2.49 GAA and .920 SV% in 64 games. He faced the third-most shots of 1,964 and made the second-most saves 1,807. This also included four shutouts. Hellebuyck is a big goalie at 6′ 4″ and uses his size and positioning to cut down angles and space to make saves seem easy.
With reports indicating that he may not want to sign an extension with Winnipeg after uncertainty in their lineup going forward, a trade this offseason seems very possible. For Carolina, this would be a swing for the fences move. Hellebuyck will fetch a king’s ransom for Winnipeg. It’s hard to say what Winnipeg would truly want because it isn’t clear if they will go through a rebuild or more of a retool. Carolina would look at parting with at least a first-round pick or two and probably additional picks, a high-end prospect such as Scott Morrow, and then a young NHL caliber player like Seth Jarvis.
While some have analyzed that Carolina could look at this move, their need for a top goal scorer would take precedent based on how they approach goaltending. This would not be a move to have a goalie by committee. This would be a move to get a Vezina caliber guy to carry the team. Could Hellebuyck be to Carolina what Andrei Vasilevskiy is to the Tampa Bay Lightning? Maybe. But it frankly doesn’t seem like Carolina’s style nor does it seem like it is worth the cost based on other availability and team needs. It was also reported that Hellebuyck is looking for a big pay raise so that is something to consider.
The (More Likely) Trade Route
Another big name reportedly available is the Anaheim Ducks John Gibson. While it won’t be super cheap to acquire Gibson, there are a few reasons this may be the Hurricanes preference over Hellebuyck. Gibson is 29 years old and is signed through the 2026-27 season with an AAV of 6.4 million. Gibson faced the second most amount of shots last season in 1,943 but had the third most saves. His GAA was 3.99 and his SV% was .899.
Over his career he has a 2.83 GAA and .912 SV%. While his stats this past season are not great, it is important to note that he played for a Ducks team that was in serious draft lottery contention for the first overall pick. He has been good over his career and a three time all star, including in 2022. Gibson plays a strong butterfly style and uses his size to make saves while having strong puck handling ability.
There are a few reasons this move makes more sense to address the Carolina Hurricanes goaltending than Hellebuyck. The first is the cost to acquire Gibson, while still high, may be more manageable than Hellebuyck. This would leave other assets to bring in a goal scorer or other pieces. The other is that Gibson is under contract for the next few seasons. One thing that Carolina likes is cost certainty and Gibson provides that. With Carolina’s defence, you may even see Gibson put up Vezina caliber numbers at a relatively decent price. Carolina would then likely roll with Gibson and Kochetkov for the forseeable future. Kochetkov is also under contract until 2026-27 with an AAV of 2 million.
Is he better than Andersen and/or Raanta? The numbers show fairly similar results over their careers, but Gibson may have some higher potential playing in Carolina’s system at a younger age. It is also notable that even though he has had some injuries, he has some better luck on the injury front than Andersen and Raanta.
Concluding Thoughts on the Carolina Hurricanes Goaltending
With Carolina looking to win now, mixed with their tendency to not overspend or completely jeopardize the future, it seems likely that they will resign one or both of Andersen and Raanta at the right price. They are familiar faces, understand the team and system, and have given the team a great chance to win over their past two seasons. Having the three-goalie rotation was nice, but depending how Carolina’s management sees Kochetkov, you could see them go with a duo if they can’t retain all three.
However, there are some reports that they have pokers in the Gibson fire too. That may not be a bad route either as Carolina would secure their goaltending for the foreseeable future. All things considered, resigning the familiar faces may be the best path forward for Carolina.
Main Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
