Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the newly revived first edition of the Carolina Hurricanes weekly roundtable series. This is a series that started a few years ago, where myself (Alex), and the other THW Hurricanes writers would talk all things ‘Canes hockey – from storylines to roster moves, some silly questions, and everything in between — anything goes here. Moving forward, I will be joined by Zachary Martin and Alessandro Seren Rosso in discussions as we hope to make this fun and engaging series a regular occurrence.
As the season approaches, there are some storylines surrounding the Hurricanes that will be interesting to watch develop as training camp and the regular season gets underway. So, naturally, the boys decided to discuss some of the more intriguing subjects and break down potential scenarios of how things could play out – from everything like goaltending to prospects, and a potential training camp surprise – we’ve got you covered. So let’s get into it.
Topic 1: Who Should Be the Canes 1A Goalie — Pyotr Kochetkov or Frederik Andersen?
Zach Martin: Pyotr Kochetkov should be the 1A goalie for the Hurricanes during the 2024-25 season. He finished last season 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). 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 much more impressive he was, Kochetkov finished with the Eastern Conference’s best SV% among all rookie goalies.
The Hurricanes and head coach Rod Brind’Amour leaned heavily on him for most of the season with Frederik Andersen out due to blood clots and Antti Raanta struggling in the net. 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. That being said, it is time to run with Kochetkov as the main starter (1A) for the upcoming season.
Alex Ohari: I agree with Zach. I’m really hoping that Kochetkov will show up to camp, win the job, take the reins and run with them. Andersen is now on the cusp of his 35th birthday, and at this point, we know both what he is and what he isn’t. I’m pretty confident in saying that with his well-documented playoff “limitations”, he’s not a goaltender that you can expect to win a Stanley Cup with. He’s adept enough to provide a quality time-share during the regular season, but historically he’s never been a guy who’s excelled when the pressure is on. Meanwhile, Kochetkov just turned 25 and should just now be entering the prime years of his career. We’ve also kind of reached the point of his development arc where it’s time to really see what you have in this guy, and find out if he can be the answer in goal for the next 5-10 years.
Topic 2: Who’s Your “Dark Horse” Pick to Make the Opening Night Roster?
Ohari: I’ll go with Jackson Blake. The combination of raw skill and maturity in his game makes him a guy who I think can earn Brind’Amour’s trust at a young age. He was just a Hobey Baker award finalist in NCAA hockey, so to call him a “dark horse” may not be fair — but he was a fourth-round pick in 2021 and is listed at only 172 pounds, so he’s not exactly a guy who’s been considered an NHL lock. Regardless, his growth at North Dakota was great to watch. He has very high-level hands, vision, poise with the puck and patience. His release is also very quick. Really, he’s a bit of a magician offensively, and the Hurricanes would benefit from his creativity in their top-nine. And considering that his father Jason is a veteran of over 850 NHL games, it’s safe to assume that Blake has fantastic support and guidance behind him.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes’ Top 5 Prospects for 2024-25: Preseason Edition
Martin: My dark horse prospect pick to make the opening night roster is Russian winger, Gleb Trikozov. The 20-year-old Omsk native had 39 points in 49 games spanned over the MHL and VHL in Russia. He is no stranger to scoring as he had five points in five games during the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for the Russia U18 squad. What makes Trikozov an impressive forward at a young age is that he’s got excellent vision, which gives him time to see plays developing to give his team the best chance to score. He is a smart player who sees the ice incredibly well and can utilize his skillset to either set up a teammate or take a well-placed shot. Trikozov was the talk of rookie development camp for the Hurricanes back in July where everyone was surprised by how well he developed last season. If he has a stellar prospect showcase in Tennessee and preseason, there could be a case there to jump his way into a roster spot.
Topic 3: Who’s an “Under the Radar” Prospect to Watch Closely This Season?
Seren Rosso: In the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) this season, all eyes will be on Alexander Nikishin. The 22-year-old has been a standout in the league, leading all defensemen in points for two consecutive seasons. In the 2022-23 campaign, after his move to SKA, he amassed 55 points in 65 games, followed by an impressive 56 points in 67 games in the 2023-24 season. His accolades include being named the KHL Defenseman of the Year and earning a spot on the KHL All-Star Team. Nikishin’s size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and puck-moving abilities make him a formidable presence on the ice. His offensive prowess, combined with his defensive skills, makes him a well-rounded player.
Another player whose stock is rising is Alexander Siryatsky. The 2024 fourth-round pick is having a strong preseason with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and recently recorded an assist in a preparation game. Considering his recent improvements, he now has an excellent chance to be one of the two rookies in Metallurg’s lineup for the upcoming season. Moreover, his coach in the KHL, Andrei Razin, is known for his excellent abilities with young players – just last season, Danila Yurov and Nikita Grebyonkin experienced significant growth under his leadership, both helping lead the team to a Gagarin Cup triumph.
Ohari: My pick is 2022 third-round draftee Alexander Perevalov, but not exactly because I think he’s about to have an explosive season. I’m keeping a close eye on him because I feel he really needs to take a leap forward in his development. He took a step back last season, splitting time between the KHL and VHL (which is the Russian equivalent of the American Hockey League) but was unable to establish any rhythm or identity as injuries slowed him down.
There’s no denying that Perevalov has a ton of skill in his bag. His puck handling, playmaking, and skating abilities are all high-end, but that hasn’t translated to production above the Russian junior level yet. Across 43 KHL games, he has just five points — and while deployment is never favorable for NHL-affiliated teenagers in that league, if you’re billed pretty much solely as an offensive weapon and you’re not providing offense — then what are you doing? The good news is that he’s only 20 years old, so there’s still plenty of time for growth, but I’d hope for him to start turning the corner this season. He was just recently cut from Avangard Omsk’s KHL roster in camp, so he’ll be starting off with Omskie Krylia in the VHL. Ideally, he’ll become a driving offensive force for that club and force his way back up to the KHL.
Martin: Ronan Seeley. The 22-year-old Yellowknife, NT native has a huge opportunity to capitalize on the reunion of the Chicago Wolves and the Hurricanes. Going into the final year of his entry-level contract will see him be a restricted free agent after the season, and he will be with other high-level prospects to help him secure an extension.
What makes Seeley a great defenseman is that he makes tremendous reads of complex rushes, dealing with hand-offs and mini-2-on-1s. Furthermore, he has a great combination of anticipation and confidence on and off the puck. He is an aggressive, confident defender who uses his off-puck awareness to tie up attackers. That along with the timing to stop the opposition in transition to minimize risk is a big plus. He’s also physical along the boards to separate opposition forwards from the puck. Expect a huge 2024-25 season from someone who could make the Hurricanes roster at some point soon in his career.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned closer to the start of this piece, the three of us plan to provide this kind of joint analysis on a quite frequent basis, whenever there are ample storylines to cover. To the readers – if you ever feel like you have a question that you’d like to see discussed in a future segment, feel free to reach out to any of us on X and we’d be happy to oblige!
