The Carolina Hurricanes have brought back Danish goaltender Frederik Andersen on a two-year contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $3.4 million per season. Andersen struggled to stay healthy this season only playing 34 games, and in that span he had a .903 save percentage and a record of 21-11-1.
Related: THW’s Free Agency Tracker
When he was healthy he was playing fine. He wasn’t a huge standout like the near-Vezina caliber season the year before, but that has been the trend with Andersen. He is streaky and has his up-and-down seasons. He gave the Hurricanes a chance to win in every game he played and clearly earned the trust of the management team as they brought the whole goaltending trio back to play next year, and at a cheaper price than they were before.
Headed into the 2023 Playoffs, there was a battle for the crease. Andersen went in injured, and when he came back he took the crease from Antti Raanta, who was also just re-signed. When Andersen took over, he demonstrated his fantastic play that everyone knew he was capable of and helped get the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Final.
Andersen is a Playoff Performer
Andersen only played nine playoff games in 2023, and in that span he posted a .927 save percentage and a 1.83 goals-against average. His stats were even better the year before. Andersen has been the best playoff performer on the Hurricanes over the past two seasons, and he will be looking to continue that trend this season as the ‘Canes are among the top of the list for teams contending for the Stanley Cup, and it seems like Andersen has a lot of confidence in this group.
The defensive group and system in front of Andersen certainly helps him look good, but just a year ago he finished fourth in Vezina voting with fantastic stats. If Andersen can stay healthy this year with the way the team has been trending, plus the addition of Dmitry Orlov, the Hurricanes and Andersen will both be fine. They are a great match. Andersen makes every stop he needs to make, and while he isn’t known in Carolina for stealing games, he is reliable and dependable.
The Hurricanes have come so close to making a Stanley Cup run over the last few seasons, and this year they may just do it. Andersen is set and ready to go with a new contract and all of the important surrounding pieces retained. Along with other additions, the Hurricanes are poised for a successful season. Andersen has shown that he has the ability to carry the workload and can play north of 50 games. While I think a perennial Vezina contender is a bit of a reach for him, he is among one of the league’s top goalies, and should be top 10 on any list.
