The Carolina Hurricanes goaltending the last few seasons has been a rotation between Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, Pyotr Kochetkov and to a lesser degree Spencer Martin. And largely in that order even though there has been some pretty consistent rotation. However, things now have changed. Raanta has gone back to Europe. Martin is a solid number-three goalie and recently cleared waivers. The remaining two are both solid netminders but in pretty different circumstances. While Andersen has been the defacto 1A goalie the last few years due to his veteran status, that might not be so certain this season.
The Hurricanes Goaltending Battle: Andersen v. Kochetkov
The Great Dane
In one corner you have the veteran in Andersen. Standing at 6′ 4″, 238 lbs. and 35 years old, Andersen is the definition of cool, calm and collected in net. He uses his size and positioning to make saves and rarely looks out of sorts or chasing the puck. While he has been known to let in a soft goal or two from time to time, his overall numbers have been solid.
With a .916 SV% and 2.56 GAA over his career, Andersen put up a .932 SV% and 1.84 GAA last season. However, those numbers were only over 16 games as he missed most of the season with a blood clotting issue. The season before, he had a .903 SV% with a 2.48 GAA in 32 games played, which were both worse than his previous season. More notably, his goals saved above expected the last three seasons have been 12.2, -3.5, and 27.8 respectively. He played 52 games in 2021-22 but since then has not passed 34 in a season. Injuries, even outside the unfortunate blood clotting issue, have been somewhat of a struggle for Andersen as well. In addition, his playoff numbers the last two years were solid in 2022-23 (.927 SV% and 1.83 GAA) but not so great in 2023-24 (.895 SV% and 2.62 GAA).
Pyotr the Great
In the other corner you have the budding Pyotr Kochetkov. At 6′ 3″, 205 lbs. and 25 years old, Kochetkov plays a very different style than Andersen. More akin to Dominik Hasek, Kochetkov plays with his heart on his sleeve and utilizes his athleticism to make big saves. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t have composure, but he does love to do flying poke checks and isn’t afraid to mix it up with opposing players. A decade younger than Andersen, Kochetkov will be beginning his third NHL season (although his first only featured three games).
Overall, he holds a .910 SV% and a 2.37 GAA. His two true seasons in the NHL saw him put up a .909 SV% and 2.44 GAA in 24 games played in 2022-23 and a .911 SV% with a 2.33 GAA in 42 games played in 2023-24. Even though Carolina rotated goaltenders last year, he played the most games of any of them. During the last two seasons, Kochetkov’s goals saved above expected were 4.9 and 0.7 respectively.
The fact that he had a positive goals saved above expected and finished above .900 in SV% last season says a lot about his progression. He started the season really struggling and at one point carried one of the worst goals saved above expected numbers in the league. But when December rolled around, Kochetkov really picked it up and started looking more and more like a true starting goaltender. He also had four shutouts in each of the last two seasons. His playoff numbers are not good BUT he only played one game the last two years and four the year before.
Looking Forward to 2024-25 for the Hurricanes Goaltending
As we look forward to the 2024-25 season, Carolina’s goaltending situation should have a fierce battle for that 1A role. And that is a very good thing for the team. I say 1A because Rod Brind’Amour will almost certainly utilize a pretty consistent rotation between the two. Of course, if one gets hot, they will likely ride the wave until he cools off. But the question becomes who gets the slightly heavier workload. Even more interesting, assuming they make the playoffs, who will be the go-to guy, or will the rotation continue?
What’s Trending?
While you could make a case for either guy, this year arguably should be Kochetkov’s turn to start taking over. This is for a few reasons. For starters, looking at progression, trends in numbers and durability, Kochetkov seems to show more of a positive trend of late. Now in hockey past performances don’t necessarily dictate future ones. But it does help us look at how players have been trending in their progression. This is even more so when the player is a younger one. For example, Andersen had good numbers last season but what would that have looked like if he played a full season? Andersen also struggled in the playoffs when given a heavier load. The playoff picture will be a little clearer as the season plays out but if they do not utilize a rotation in them, it may be time to give Kochetkov more of a chance there too.
Tis’ the Season
Another reason for giving Kochetkov the heavier load is the fact that the year is somewhat of a transition one. No, they aren’t just doing whatever for the sake of trying new things. But the team had a lot of turnover and figuring out who fits where is going to be an adjustment. Not to mention there are many young players who may push for certain roles. So if there was ever a year to give the guy who the team has invested in as the goalie of the near future a solid look, it is this one. And it’s not like he doesn’t have the performance to back up justifying his 1A role.
Workload Management
A final reason for giving Kochetkov a heavier workload is that it actually will likely be better for Andersen. As an aging goaltender with some injury troubles in the past, managing his workload will be crucial. Kochetkov is younger and in theory can handle heavier work at this point. As an experienced veteran, Andersen may also be better suited to come in colder and hold down the fort. This also may help prevent injury. Managing the workload this way could be very beneficial for Andersen, his health, and the team altogether.
It should be interesting to see what Brind’Amour decides. But at the end of the day, having two good goaltenders pushing each other for starts is a great asset to have.
Main Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
