The Carolina Hurricanes are in need of goaltending. Is it the only reason for their inconsistent play this season? Absolutely not. Is it a big contributing factor? Yes, yes it is. The trio of Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov has worked well in Carolina for a few years. So when the season started and they retained that grouping, it seemed smart. Now here we are, and Andersen is out indefinitely, Raanta appears to have lost some of his mojo, and Kochetkov still hasn’t taken that next step forward. We previously explored many of the issues facing Carolina that were shown during their disastrous Western Canada road trip here. This article looks at one of those issues in more depth: the Hurricanes search for a goalie.
The Carolina Hurricanes Searching for a Goalie
As mentioned above, Andersen has been a very limited factor this season due to an unfortunate medical issue keeping him sidelined. In his absence, the duo of Raanta and Kochetkov have been anything but consistent. They will have a decent game here and there, but nothing consistent. They sit at the bottom of the league in save percentage and goals saved above expected. This is problematic for Carolina because their goal is to limit shots. But if they limit the shots to under twenty but the other team scores on over 50% of them (cough Tampa Bay cough), the goalie isn’t really helping.
Carolina has reportedly been shopping for goalies. But what is the supply to fit such a need and how much do they need to pay?
A Big Move – John Gibson
The first move Carolina should look at is across the country in Anaheim. John Gibson is a 30-year-old 6′ 2″ goalie who has shown elite abilities on an otherwise struggling Anaheim Ducks team for years. He has made it known that he would like to go to a contending team too. While Anaheim started the year hot, they cooled off and are back near the bottom of the league in points. With Anaheim still looking like a rebuilding team, will we finally see Gibson on the move? The likelihood of letting him go is there and Carolina’s need is also there.
This year he has a win/loss record of 5-12, which is largely due to the team in front of him. He still maintains a 2.83 GAA and .906 SV% while carrying a pretty heavy workload. Meanwhile, his goals saved above expected is at 2.6 which is pretty solid. This is much better than Raanta and Kochetkov’s respective SV% of .863 and .873 or their goals saved above expected at -5.6 and -7.3. Gibson’s career GAA is 2.83 while his career SV% is .912.
This is a guy who is hungry to win and has shown elite ability. He is a big body in his prime. If you put him behind Carolina’s (typically) strong defence, he may really excel. His contract carries an AAV of $6.4 million through the 2026-27 season so this would not be a rental. This would be a guy to come in and take over the reins as the starter while Kochetkov continues to develop. He does have a ten-team no-trade list so there is some potential hindrance in that for a trade to Carolina. But if he wants to win he may see this as an opportunity.
Gibson will not come cheap and Carolina would have to make the numbers work to remain cap-compliant. Expect to see something along the lines of a first-round pick, top prospect, and decent younger NHL or close to NHL level player going back to Anaheim. Maybe more considering teams pursuing Gibson may be numerous. If they push hard for Kochetkov that may end up being a piece, but ideally Kochetkov stays. They may also need to move Raanta if the positional numbers need to fit but at this point, he probably doesn’t carry too much weight in a trade. Is this a big move? Yes. But it’s the one that probably needs to happen. Carolina’s window is now and with their streaky play, management needs to start swinging hard.
Options in Motown
Turning to a less flashy option, the Hurricanes could look into what Steve Yzerman may have to offer. The Detroit Red Wings currently have three goalies playing at decent NHL levels. All three have carried a load but Ville Husso sits as typically the number one guy. With a record of 8-4-2, a GAA of 3.65 and SV% of .886, Husso hasn’t been lights out but has done enough to have a winning record. With Husso likely not going anywhere, Carolina could take a look at one of two guys who have both played in Carolina before.
James Reimer is the next on the list for the Red Wings. A long time veteran in the league, Reimer had a previous stint with Carolina and performed fairly decently. This season, he has a record of 2-3-2 with a GAA of 2.58 and a SV% of .911. Reimer also has a -1.0 goals save above expected. Even though it’s not a huge sample size, these numbers aren’t bad. Certainly much better than Carolina’s current goaltending duo.
Then there is Alex Lyon. Another netminder who put in some time with Carolina. Lyon had a stint of lights out play for the Florida Panthers last season when Sergei Bobrovsky was struggling. This season Lyon has a record of 4-2-0 with a 2.13 GAA and .931 SV%. This has Lyon in the top ten in the league in SV%. His goals saved above expected is at 5.0 as well. These are really good numbers. Could Lyon sustain these with a heavier workload? Maybe so maybe not. Regardless, these are much better than what Carolina has.
Based on these numbers, Reimer or Lyon would come in and be the starter in Carolina right away. With Detroit in a position having three solid goalies, a trade of either of these seems like a possibility. The cost will not be as high for Carolina as compared to Gibson. Both in trade assets or cap. Carolina also might not have to send a goalie the other way considering Detroit’s goaltending volume. But this type of move would be more of a short term solution as Reimer is on a year deal while Lyon is on a two year deal. But maybe that is ok. It could provide a better option than what Carolina currently has and allow Kochetkov and Raanta some time to settle back into their games. At least ideally.
Turning to Montreal
Another team holding a decent three goalie rotation right now is the Montreal Canadiens. While there has been some bad blood between the two organizations involving the Jesperi Kotkaniemi/Sebastian Aho offer sheets. But that was years ago and if there is the right deal on the table, the teams could make a move.
The Canadiens just resigned Sam Montembeault to a three-year deal so he clearly isn’t up for trade. With the team’s faith in Montembeault, that leaves Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau as the other two in the three man goalie rotation. Starting with Primeau, so far this season he has a record of 3-3-0 with a 3.40 GAA and a .902 SV%. His goals saved above expected is at 0.9. Primeau is only 24 years old and will be a RFA after the 2024-25 season.
For a rebuilding team with a younger goalie showing NHL ability at a very affordable cap hit of $890,000 per year, Montreal may be reluctant to part with Primeau. This would mean either this is not an option for Carolina or they will have to pay a larger premium. Not to mention Carolina is bargaining somewhat at a disadvantage as everyone knows they need an improvement in net. However, there are rumblings that Montreal may be willing to part with Primeau.
The most likely option from Montreal falls to the veteran Jake Allen. Allen currently has a record of 3-6-2 with a 3.58 GAA and .901 SV%. His goals saved above expected is at 1.2. Under contract for the next two years with an AAV of $3.85 million, Carolina would have to send cap back or otherwise figure out how to make it work. He would be around for next year as well, which may not be bad if he worked out.
Is Allen the best option for a goaltending upgrade? No. But with his SV% and goals saved above expected, he could be an upgrade over Carolina’s current pair. His GAA isn’t great but Carolina limits shots so if he could maintain his SV%, he could find a place.
Finding the Answer
Carolina found some success with Andersen, Raanta and Kochetkov the last few years. But with Andersen out indefinitely and Raanta and Kochetkov underperforming, a move seems almost necessary. The team is in a win-now mode and should be looking to make the moves necessary to address weaknesses. They have a good prospect pool and a pretty full supply of draft picks they can use.
While the options from Detroit or Montreal may improve the team and be more conservative options, management should swing for the fence here. A goalie can win a Stanley Cup. And last year’s Eastern Conference Finals saw Carolina get out-goalied even as good as Andersen played. As always, there will likely be other suitors for Gibson such as the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers. But Carolina needs to make a serious offer to get an elite goalie to move the needle.
Main Photo Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
