At high noon on Thursday, general manager Eric Tulsky gave an update regarding a notable injury in the Carolina Hurricanes goalies roster, as well as a timetable for the recovery period. With Frederik Andersen out, Pyotr Kochetkov, and Spencer Martin will remain the go-to tandem for the foreseeable future.
How Long is Frederik Andersen Going to be Out?
Announced Thursday, Freddie was planned to undergo knee surgery on Friday. Due to this, it is expected that he will be out of the Canes lineup anywhere from eight to twelve weeks. It is unlikely that he will be on the ice at least until the beginning of the new year.
What Does the Carolina Hurricanes Goalies Situation Look Like?
Starting off our discussion, we do have a main starter on the lineup, Pyotr Kochetkov. Last season, the Russian-born-and-trained backup tendie filled the shoes (or rather skates) of Andersen, who was diagnosed with a blood-clotting issue. Veteran backup goalie Antti Raanta was the second half of the fill-in tandem. On November 2, 2023, Andersen played his sixth game of the season and final of the calendar year. He did not return until March 7, 2024. After a tough first third of the season, the team turned it around and reached the playoffs, with much credit going to Kochetkov and Raanta. During the season, Pyotr Kochetkov began earning the starting role. He proved himself as the goalie the team needed him to be, becoming a full-time NHLer in the process. By this season’s start, Kochetkov found himself as one side of the alternating starter duo.
The Carolina Hurricanes technical backup is currently Spencer Martin. Drafted by the Colorado Avalanche 11 years ago, he has played less than 70 games in his NHL career. His stats haven’t exactly been great, but they haven’t been abysmal, either. Something not often considered in the cases of backups, or backups of backups, is that the lesser the number of games, the more misleading stats can be. With these stats in mind, taking an eye test with his recent games can tell a lot more about that story. Notably, some defensive breakdowns and the net crashes which that produces. This is not to say that the stats are completely inaccurate but rather should be noted that a fair number of allowed goals aren’t entirely the fault of any goalie. Don’t count this backup goalie out. Despite his lack of extensive in-game NHL experience, he’s pretty dang reliable in the crease.
What Do the Backups in the Carolina Hurricanes Goalies Department Look Like?
Speaking with Carolina Hurricanes team writer Walt Ruff, Eric Tulsky discussed the lingering concern of the goaltending situation and shared his thoughts on the Canes’ additional manpower in the net. Many first-year general managers may panic in a situation such as this. However, Tulsky expressed the importance of proper analysis and assessment to ensure assets are not spent wastefully.
Walt Ruff asked if Tulsky would feel comfortable with Yaniv Perets playing the pipes for the Canes if needed. In return, he provided a solid answer to the question.
“We have called him up before, and are comfortable doing it again if necessary. We also have Dustin Tokarski in Chicago right now; he has a lot of NHL experience and is playing great – he just finished up his second straight shutout there, and could be an option for us. It is hard to get too deep into the what-if game, but we do have a lot of depth at this position.”
Last Word on this Story
It is never great when a player is injured, especially when severely enough that surgery and prolonged downtime are required. While every position is important, the hardest to fill is most often the empty space between the pipes. Goaltenders are outnumbered 10 to one on a game’s roster. The draft rate is significantly less than that of skaters. However, this isn’t the Carolina Hurricanes’ first rodeo, and this is not the first time that the Mad Scientist Eric Tulsky has experienced the navigation of significant absences among the Carolina Hurricanes goalies, undoubtedly assisting in the concoction of a few solutions with the team in the past decade.
Minding twine is an incredibly strenuous job, both physically and mentally. With as good as the tendies have been playing, as well as the decent cast of goalies training up in the minor leagues, there hopefully shouldn’t be too much of a concern for fatigue in Andersen’s absence if Carolina plays their cards right. The team here at Last Word on Hockey will continue to cover updates on this story in future installments. Be sure to check us out first for the latest on news, predictions, analysis, and features.
Main Photo: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Get well soon, Freddie!
