As we draw closer to the 2024-25 regular season, questions are certain to rise as the days pass by. The Carolina Hurricanes have a few questions going into the upcoming season, especially with the forward group and the Seth Jarvis contract talks. However, there is one position group that is being overlooked when it comes to figuring out the plan for the 82-game campaign. While the team and fans know that the goalie position is pretty much set with Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, the real question remains, who is the starter, or the 1A, in the tandem?
Kochetkov Makes Case as 1A Starter
Coming into the season, there needs to be a sense of urgency from the Hurricanes on the future of their goaltending. While Andersen has been with the team since joining as an unrestricted free agent before the 2021-22 season, he has not played a full season in Carolina. He has been plagued with injuries or dealing with a blood clotting issue in his three seasons. Despite those setbacks, he has been solid when available. Regarding Kochetkov, it might be time to hand the keys over to the 25-year-old Russian netminder.
During the 2023-24 season, Kochetkov finished with a 23-13-4 record with a .911 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.33 goals against average (GAA) in 42 games (40 starts). The Hurricanes and head coach Rod Brind’Amour leaned heavily on him for most of the season with Andersen out due to blood clots and Antti Raanta struggling in the net. Furthermore, last season proved he can take the bulk of starts while being in a tandem with a reliable backup acting as the number two or 1B.
Kochetkov is going into the second year of his four-year contract that he signed with the Hurricanes in November 2022. The $2 million annual average value (AAV) is still one of the most reasonable deals for young netminders in the NHL. By contrast, Andersen’s $3.4 million AAV will come off the books at the end of the season, which will give the Hurricanes more cap space next offseason to find another backup for Kochetkov. While we are ways away from figuring out who the Hurricanes will pair next season with the Penza, Russia native, it makes sense to know the net will be his sooner than later.
As the 2023-24 season progressed, it became more evident that Kochetkov could be the guy for the Hurricanes going into the 2024-25 season and beyond. He was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month in February and proved he was the best rookie goalie on the season as a whole. Last season, he finished tied for the league lead among all rookie netminders with 23 wins and four shutouts. To show how more impressive he was, Kochetkov finished with an Eastern Conference’s best .911 SV% among all rookie goalies.
When asked about how Kotchetkov is as a netminder, Brind’Amour stated, “We’ve known that the talent is there. We noticed day one that he was something special, but he’s a young kid. It takes time.”
The 2022 Calder Cup Champion with the Chicago Wolves knows what it takes to win and the hope is to replicate that for the Hurricanes. Yes, he is young, however, not many 25-year-old netminders can say that they’ve won 38 games in their first 65 starts (69 games played) and post a career .910 SV% and 2.37 GAA with eight shutouts. There is a case to be made for going with Andersen as the main starter since he played in 10 of the Hurricanes’ 11 playoff games during the 2024 playoffs. Furthermore, he did post a .932 SV% and a 1.84 GAA with a 13-2-0 record in 16 games. But, Andersen will be 35 years old and is prone to being injured for long stretches over the last three seasons, minus last season for blood-clotting, not injury, reasons. That being said, it is time to run with Kochetkov as the main starter (1A) for the upcoming season.
Decisions, Decisions for Brind’Amour
Either way you look at it, Brind’Amour and his staff will make the decision they think will be best for the Hurricanes in the net for the 2024-25 season. They know they will have Andersen and Kochetkov going into the opening night on Oct. 11 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, they do not know how long one or both of those guys will stay healthy. They do have depth in the American Hockey League with the Wolves in case something happens.
Hopefully, nothing does, but that safety net is there. It will not be surprising if Kochetkov replicates his play from last season from December to the playoffs and cements his status as the Hurricanes netminder of the future. This season will be one to watch when it comes to the teams’ netminders and the somewhat revamped blue line with the addition of Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere.
