The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the NHL this year. They’ve suffered a huge blow, though. They lead the East in points, but those are going to be a lot harder to come by without star goalie Pyotr Kochetkov. The goaltender is likely done for the rest of the season.
Carolina Hurricanes lose starting goalie
Pyotr Kochetkov has slowly but surely become the Carolina Hurricanes’ go-to goalie. Last year, he began to outplay Frederik Andersen and became the most reliable netminder on the roster. This year, he’s been hurt, and Andersen has gotten even worse.
Kochetkov was supposed to start against the New York Rangers, a game the Canes won 3-2 in overtime. Brandon Bussi got the start over the injured Kochetkov, and he made 17 saves on 19 shots and kept the Hurricanes alive into overtime, where Jackson Blake slotted home the winning goal.
“He’s decided to have surgery, so he’s probably going to be out for the year,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said via ESPN. “He didn’t feel right all year. He’s been playing great; that’s the hard part. He was kind of fighting through it, but doesn’t want to continue that way, so we’ll get it fixed and go from there.”
His injuries earlier in the year paved the way for Bussi, who has been a godsend. The Hurricanes would be toast without his contributions. He’s gone 12-1-1 this year and sports a .912 save percentage. Contrasted with Anderson, he looks like a superstar. Andersen was 5-8-2 with an .869 save percentage before Tuesday night’s game.
As if to showcase how dire this situation now is for Carolina, Andersen was decimated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are not exactly a top-tier team. He allowed five goals on 28 save attempts. Anthony Mantha had two goals, while Justin Brazeau, Tommy Novak, and Sidney Crosby got one apiece past Andersen.
Hurricanes not equipped to deal with goalie loss
It would have been one thing for the East’s leading team to suffer a loss to Frederik Andersen. Teams don’t typically use three goalies, so Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov would’ve been the two choices. Andersen is clearly the odd man out.
But for now, he’s a crucial cog in the machine. The Hurricanes are a good defensive team, but they’ll be put to the test now with a weak goalie playing half the games. And Bussi is a former minor leaguer who was claimed off waivers, so there’s a chance he regresses to the mean at some point.
There has already been a major goalie trade this year. Ironically, the Penguins employed Stuart Skinner in net against the Canes. Skinner came over earlier in a trade from the Edmonton Oilers. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski listed the following earlier in December as potential trade candidates:
- Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
- Laurent Brossoit, Chicago Blackhawks
- Nico Daws, New Jersey Devils
- Michael DiPietro, Boston Bruins
- Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Calvin Pickard, Edmonton Oilers
- Cam Talbot, Detroit Red Wings
With Skinner being moved, Pickard may not be on the list anymore. However, there are some options if GM Eric Tulsky feels the need to make a move. Wyshynski noted that Brossoit, Daws, and DiPietro are buried on depth charts, which may make a move easier. He also noted that the Jackets have wanted to move Merzlikins for years.
The Hurricanes are without top defenseman Jacobb Slavin now, so the defensive part of the game will get harder with Kochetkov out. That may force them to make a move before it’s too late. They don’t want to waste a down (for their standards) year by the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers.
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