The Carolina Hurricanes have 71 days to go before they kick off the 2025-26 campaign on Oct. 9 against the New Jersey Devils. After coming within three wins of the Stanley Cup Final, the Hurricanes went out and added Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller this summer to make another playoff run. They also locked up their young talent to eight-year extensions. Expectations are high in Raleigh as they enter head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s eighth season behind the bench.
Yet, it will come down to goaltending for the team to take the next step in 2025-26, and Russian netminder Pyotr Kochetkov is in a position to prove he’s their guy going forward.
Make-or-Break 2025-26 Season for Kochetkov
Kochetkov is entering the third season of his four-year, $8 million contract, worth $2 million annually. In 47 starts last season, he had a record of 27-16-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage (SV%), which includes a rough final stretch when Brind’Amour was resting his best players. Kochetkov also set a new career high in wins after setting his previous record in 2023-24 with 24.
He has a 50-29-7 record, six shutouts, and three points in 42 and 47 games, respectively, over the last two seasons, with Frederik Andersen missing over 70 games due to injury. Kochetkov also has a 2.60 adjusted goals against average (GAA/A) in that span, along with a .903 SV% and a 2.48 GAA, numbers that any NHL team would appreciate from a young netminder under 25 who has to take on the bulk of the work.
Related: Hurricanes’ Goaltending Tandem All Set for 2025-26
Kochetkov wasn’t expected to be the starter in 2023-24. But following Andersen’s injury and Antti Raanta’s struggles, Kochetkov stepped up and went 23-13-4 with a .911 SV% and a 2.44 GAA. Last season, he was expected to be the 1B behind Andersen, but that was not the case. He went on to be the main guy again due to Andersen having surgery on his knee.
If the Hurricanes want Kochetkov to become their starter of the future, they will have to play him as the team’s 1A in tandem with Andersen to give him room to prove himself. He has two seasons remaining on his deal, and giving him fewer starts as the backup to Andersen will not help answer those questions. If they want to figure out if he can be the true number one, he will need to start more games. Kochetkov should get 50-53 starts and put up decent numbers.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes 2025-26 Roster Projection 1.0
Hopes are high for Kochetkov, but he will need to put down a complete season in goal. This is a make-or-break season for Kochetkov to see what the future holds. While he has two years left on his deal, if he cannot prove that he can be the future for the Hurricanes, are they willing to move him at the deadline, next summer, or next season? Expect a determined and focused Kochetkov in 2025-26 as he looks to make an impact.
71 Days Away from Season Opener
Expectations aren’t only high for Kochetkov heading into the season, but for the Hurricanes as well. They are the odds-on favorite to win the Metropolitan Division and should make another deep playoff run. Kochetkov has won 50 games over the last two seasons, but is that enough to prove that he is the future for the Hurricanes in the crease? Only time will tell for the 25-year-old netminder who has something to prove. It’ll be interesting to see how he does this upcoming 2025-26 season.
