We are back with another round of NHL Rumours. The NHL is nearing its midpoint of the season where the contenders start separating from the teams eyeing the draft while the wild card hopefuls battle for those last few playoff spots. But there is a lot of the season left and teams are constantly looking at improving their rosters for the present and future. One of those teams are the Carolina Hurricanes. Starting hot out of the gate but having some troubles of late has management eyeing some improvements. Notably, the Hurricanes have had injury trouble in net and now may be seeking a goaltending solution on the trade market.
NHL Rumours
Hurricanes Looking to Improve Goaltending
Rumour: Pierre LeBrun on TSN’s Insider Trading mentioned the Hurricanes have been looking at the goaltending market and specifically John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks.
INSIDER TRADING…
– Ovechkin’s road to recovery
– How Sabres plan to turn things around
– Avs’ goalie shake-up
– Canes ready to move on goalie, but…
– NHLers with ?? ancestry tabbed for 2026 Olympics?MORE: https://t.co/UUnZ04bVgq pic.twitter.com/Qw9Y74PA7S
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) December 12, 2024
Analysis: Goaltending has been a focal point for the Hurricanes for some time now. A few years ago Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta put together an impressive effort in winning the William M. Jennings Trophy. But then Raanta started to slow down, and Andersen has routinely suffered from injury trouble unfortunately. Pyotr Kochetkov is the goalie of the future and might be the goalie of the now even with Andersen in the fold. The end of last season saw them take even rotations that worked well. But this season we saw a time where both Andersen and Kochetkov were out with injury and Spencer Martin had to step in. While he is decent as a number three goalie to step in here and there, he could not really hold the full-time starting position. The Hurricanes added some depth by signing Dustin Tokarski but that is simply that.
As Pierre suggests, the Hurricanes are looking for someone who can be there if Kochetkov goes down. Andersen should return but you can never be certain. And his injury history is a cause for concern. Pierre also noted that Carolina was in on the Mackenzie Blackwood deal that Colorado ultimately swung but was not willing to pay the same price. But they are still looking. Some names mentioned include Daniel Vladar of the Calgary Flames, Anton Forsberg of the Ottawa Senators, and Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Hockey Club (who the Hurricanes remember all too well). The problem is that these guys might not be available. This is why John Gibson of Anaheim has risen to the surface as a possible option for Carolina. Pierre also provided that Carolina has had talks surrounding Gibson but that the price needs to come down.
Making the Pieces Fit
As with every trade, both parties need to be ready to make a move. As we previously discussed, Anaheim seems to be ready to look at trading Gibson. Lukas Dostal has shown them enough to prove he is ready for a starting role. Gibson at age 31 with an AAV of $6.4 million through the 2026-27 season seems like the guy the Ducks can recoup some assets for as they continue their rebuild.
For Carolina, the Gibson trade could make a lot of sense. Carolina would be getting a good goalie signed through the next few years. At one point Gibson was seen as a potential elite netminder but then his numbers dipped a bit over the last few years. Of course, you have to keep in mind he has been on a rebuilding Ducks team for some time now. Coming to a team like Carolina would probably be a welcomed change. Over his career, he still has a solid .910 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average.
The Hurricanes should have a lot of cap room next season, but making it work this season will take some creativity given their current cap space. In a perfect world for Carolina, Anaheim retains salary on this deal but that too drives the trade price up. And if the price is already high, that might be a tough bargain for the Hurricanes. There’s also the question of what happens to Andersen this season. However, if Carolina could swing this deal, then they could have a very solid 1/2 goaltending tandem of Kochetkov and Gibson for at least a few seasons.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
