The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the deepest teams in the entire league. This core group that general manager Don Waddell has put together has improved and grown, and he has done his best to reinforce the roster and maintain their contender status. He managed to boost the forwards and defensemen in the offseason, but bringing back his goaltending tandem from last season was a strong move.
The Tandem Returns
Going into the summer, the biggest question was what the team would do with its goalies. Would only one be brought back? Is it time for Pytor Kochetkov to take over? The decision was made, and the answer became clear; Waddell went ahead and brought back both goaltenders.
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The most significant part of this is both goalies are returning for a combined cost of $5 million. Antti Raanta is under contract for one year and is worth $1.5 million. In addition, Frederik Andersen returned on a two-year deal worth $3.4 million. With the Hurricanes in win-now mode, the don’t fix what isn’t broken method works perfectly.
Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken
Goaltending for the Hurricanes has been a sore spot. Since the days of Cam Ward, finding a reliable goaltender has been difficult, but the team has their guys. During the 2021-22 season, Andersen and Raanta won the William M. Jennings Trophy, which allowed the least amount of goals against. This is a remarkable achievement and testament to their play between the pipes. Furthermore, both goalies individually have substantial numbers to show for their efforts.
Andersen has been strong since joining the Hurricanes and has solidified himself as a number-one goaltender. In two seasons with the team, he has never finished with a save percentage (SV%) below .900 and a goals-against average (GAA) above 2.50. Unfortunately, he did not see playoff action his first year but made up for it this year. He was one of the best postseason goalies, as he finished fourth with 5.7 goals saved above expected. In addition, he finished the postseason with a 1.83 GAA and a .927 SV%. When healthy, he looks like a Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltender, and bringing him back was perfect for this team.
Raanta has become the perfect complementary goaltender for the Hurricanes and Andersen. In the last two seasons, he has lost just eight regulation games. Altogether, he has a record of 34-8-7 the past two seasons and has become a goaltender that gives the team a chance to win on any given night. Like Andersen, he has finished each season with a SV% above .900 and a GAA below 2.50. When Andersen went down with an injury before the 2022 Playoffs, he stepped in and was sensational. When the playoffs wrapped up, he finished with a 2.26 GAA and a .923 SV%.
Now that everything is official, the plan going forward has become clear.
Hurricanes’ Goaltending Plan Clear
The days of Martin Brodeur playing 50 games and the backup seeing little ice time is long gone. Establishing a 1A/1B tandem has proven effective and is what the Hurricanes have going for them. It is a recipe for their success and allows each goalie to rest and be sharp going forward. However, if there is an injury, there is a plan in place and the next-man-up mentality has proven to work as well.
Kochetkov has the chance to develop further, whether that is with the big club or wherever the team sends him. In the event that either goalie goes down with an injury, he can answer the bell when it rings. He played 24 games for the Hurricanes last season and finished with a 2.44 GAA and a .909 SV%. However, there is one category he stood tall in, which demonstrated how well he played. His 4.9 goals saved above expected was the best among the Hurricanes’ goaltenders last season as well as his high danger save percentage (.869). He has proven he can handle the workload and play at the NHL level, but for right now, the keys belong to the veterans.
The Hurricanes are in win-now mode, so bringing back the veteran tandem makes sense, as a deep run is on the radar. Waddell has fulfilled his vision of the roster, so it will be interesting to see if they can go the distance this season.
