The Carolina Hurricanes are currently down to two active goaltenders in their organization. They have been without Frederik Andersen since October when he was diagnosed with blood clots in his leg. Carolina lost Pyotr Kochetkov on Star Wars Night versus the Anaheim Ducks on Jan 11. They are down to Antti Raanta and Yaniv Perets who made his NHL debut in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, Jan. 15. That being said, the Hurricanes are in great need of goalie depth with only four in the system and two of them being out.
Related: Hurricanes Need Raanta to Hold It Down in Kochetkov’s Absence
Hurricanes netminder Jakob Vondras is with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and he won’t be able to join the team at all this season due to agreements between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) when it comes to players eligible for juniors. Despite being short on goalies, they have a chance to sign one to a reasonable contract if they are not willing to trade for one. There is someone that they should take a look at to help bring stability and depth to the position within the organization.
Adding Another Finnish Goalie in Kaskisuo
The Hurricanes are known for having a plethora of Finnish players within their organization so why not add another one? They have Raanta as their lone goalie from Finland and they say “Finns Get Winns” when it comes to the Hurricanes. It could be beneficial for Carolina to take a flier on Vantaa, Finland native Kasimir Kaskisuo. The 30-year-old Finnish netminder is on a professional tryout (PTO) with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) the affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. He has played in three games this season and has a record of 3-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average (GAA) and a .943 save percentage (SV%). He is also a YouTube hockey content creator and vlogger where he has videos going through his time from the 2020 NHL Playoff Bubble to the 2021 COVID season. He has also done vlogs during his time in Sweden and even now with the Rocket.
Kaskisuo did not get much ice time in Finland with Jokerit’s U18 and U20 teams so he decided to come to North America to find a spot for himself. He managed to land a spot with the Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) where he posted a .944 SV% and a 1.48 GAA in 32 games. After his lone season with the Wilderness, he was able to attend Minnesota-Duluth to play NCAA hockey with the Bulldogs for two seasons.
Related: Kasimir Kaskisuo – The Next Ones: 2014 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
In his two seasons with Minnesota-Duluth, he managed to post an 18-14-3 record in 2014-15 and a 19-15-15 in the 2015-16 season. During his 2014-15 season, he played in 36 games posting a .917 SV% and a 2.30 GAA. He followed that up with a .923 SV% and a 1.92 GAA in 39 games. This was during a time when the Bulldogs weren’t the Division 1 powerhouse that they are now. However, he posted very solid numbers in two seasons with Duluth before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as an undrafted free agent.
A Journey Starts Somewhere
When it comes to his pro career, Kaskisuo mainly played the 2016-17 season with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL where he posted a record of 14-11-5 with a .899 SV% and a 3.45 GAA in 32 games. He followed up that season with a 13-13-2 record with the Chicago Wolves. He finished the 2017-18 season with a 2.38 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Kaskisuo was able to finally break into the AHL permanently with the Toronto Marlies in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. His best time between the pipes for the Marlies within those two campaigns was during the 2019-20 season. He finished that season with a 14-9-3 record alongside a 2.79 GAA and a .909 SV%. He was on his way to building a resume to become a backup goalie in the NHL. Unfortunately, the 2020 season was put on hold with the playoffs being in a bubble later that summer into fall. He only managed to play in one game in 2020 for the Maple Leafs and got a 6.00 GAA and a .842 SV%.
He signed with the Nashville Predators for the 2021 COVID season and there was a possibility he was going to play with the Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators’ AHL affiliate. The Admirals opted out of the season and the Preds combined their prospects with the Hurricanes’ prospects whose affiliate at the time was the Chicago Wolves. Kaskisuo was on the taxi squad all season with Nashville and only ended up playing in one game and finished with a 0-0-0 record and a 1.000 SV%.
Welcome to Sweden Kasimir
After the COVID season, Kaskisuo headed back to Europe to get a more stable starting job after playing two games in almost two years. After almost two seasons of not playing much, he went back to Scandinavia to play with Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In his first season with Leksands, he posted a 23-22-0 record, .910 SV%, and a 2.64 GAA in 46 games. In the SHL playoffs, he played in three games getting a 1-2-0 record with a .911 SV% and a 2.39 GAA. The fact that Kaskisuo managed to carry a mediocre Leksands IF team should show that he can play at a high level.
Related: Maple Leafs Sign Goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo
After only appearing in 14 games the following season in 2022-23, Kaskisuo came back to North America to try once again for a shot in the AHL and/or the NHL.
Rocket to the Moon
The 2023-24 season started and Kaskisuo was in Duluth, Minnesota waiting for a contract to join any team. He was able to stay ready in case of a contract by practicing with the Bulldogs back at his former NCAA program at Minnesota-Duluth. He gave fans a behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to be a professional goalie with his YouTube channel from the 2020 Playoff Bubble to now. On the channel, he shared that he signed a PTO deal with the Laval Rocket where he has a 3-0-0 record so far this season.
The thing with a PTO, any team can still sign him, and that is where the Hurricanes come into play. Kaskisuo’s numbers over his career help make a case for Carolina to add him to the organization. Even if Andersen does come back, however, there is no timetable of yet, Kaskisuo could be a solid piece within the organization.
Let’s Make a Deal
Raanta’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season making him an unrestricted free agent (UFA). If Carolina does not bring him back, there is a chance to keep Kaskisuo on a multi-season deal as a possible third goaltender within the Hurricanes organization. An ideal contract that could work for Kaskisuo and the Hurricanes could be two or three years with an average annual value (AAV) of $750,000 which could be a two-way contract. It’s a low-risk situation for Carolina who needs goaltending depth and it helps secure stability for the future at the position.
It will also provide Kaskisuo stability in that he won’t be moving from team to team every season. He will be with one organization getting solid playing time and can be used in case of emergency due to injuries and whatnot. He has had a solid career in the NAHL, AHL, and even in the SHL. His current form in the AHL with the Rocket has shown that he is a very good goalie who can be relied upon. It is a deal that makes sense for both sides and the Hurricanes should make it happen by adding him to the organization. It’s a win-win for the Hurricanes and Kaskisuo.
