Carolina Hurricanes have a lot riding on goalie Frederik Andersen’s return to action
Frederik Andersen is back, almost. The Carolina Hurricanes are about to awake from what could have been a months-long goaltending nightmare that instead ended up being more of a disconcerting dream, the kind that leaves you slightly restless when you awake.
Andersen was activated from injured reserve Friday to back up Pyotr Kochetkov that night against the Vegas Golden Knights, and could make his return to action as soon as Monday in Chicago or Tuesday in Dallas if all continues to go well.
Given the paucity of available options and their own salary cap situation, the Hurricanes decided to muddle through Andersen’s absence, even when Kochetkov got hurt, with Spencer Martin and Dustin Tokarski. It probably cost them a point or two, but unlike years past, this is a team that operates with some margin for error in regard to the standings.
The real question is, how will Andersen feel returning from surgery? And the ensuing implication is, do the Hurricanes need to pursue an insurance policy in goal or can they use their cap space to upgrade in other areas?
There are a lot of variables in that equation but it essentially comes down to this: If you’re serious about winning the Stanley Cup, are you sure Andersen can play 28 straight games if needed? Because while it’s clear Kochetkov can help out in a pinch, we saw during Andersen’s three-month absence that, while talented, Kochetkov is probably still too inconsistent to be relied upon in the postseason at this point in his career.
And there are some positive signs. The typical recovery window on Andersen’s surgery is 8-12 weeks; he was back at practice before the eight weeks were up, and if he plays next week, he’ll have returned at the very front of that window. Having the surgery done in late November means that Andersen’s knee only needs to hold up for another five months or so if the Hurricanes advance all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, not the nine months of a full season.
Circumstances may change as teams fall out of the playoff race and other goaltenders become available, in which case an insurance policy may make more sense. For now, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky appears more likely to look elsewhere for reinforcements.
“We are comfortable with what we have now,” Tulsky told The News & Observer. “We are always looking for ways to get better at every position. But we think Kochetkov and Andersen are a strong tandem and Martin and Tokarski are strong emergency options. If there isn’t a way to upgrade there, we will be comfortable with that. We have a limited amount of cap space to use for upgrades and a lot of places the team could be upgraded. We want to make sure we’re using our resources in the best possible way.”
So where would that be, with the $3 million and change in cap space the Hurricanes could scrape together at the trade deadline? The Hurricanes have Ty Smith and Scott Morrow on call, but they could probably use a more defensive-minded depth defenseman, especially on the right side. That could come organically, because Russian phenom Alexander Nikishin is expected to join the Hurricanes as soon as his KHL season ends, but there’s no way to predict how far his team will go in the postseason. Joel Nystrom, a seventh-round pick in 2021 who the Hurricanes signed last spring and is playing in Sweden, is another potential option.
That could leave the Hurricanes in a position where they can take another swing at a forward — maybe not as big a swing as Jake Guentzel, but an upgrade nonetheless.
That’s all going to depend on how Andersen plays and how Andersen feels. Not having to make a move in net opens up options that aren’t there now.
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This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Carolina Hurricanes have a lot riding on goalie Frederik Andersen’s return to action."
