As we draw closer to the 2024-25 regular season, questions are certain to rise as the days pass by. The Carolina Hurricanes have a few questions going into the upcoming season, especially with the forward group and the Seth Jarvis contract talks. However, there is one position group that is being overlooked when it comes to figuring out the plan for the 82-game campaign. While the team and fans know that the goalie position is pretty much set with Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, the real question remains, who is the starter, or the 1A, in the tandem?
Kochetkov Makes Case as 1A Starter
Coming into the season, there needs to be a sense of urgency from the Hurricanes on the future of their goaltending. While Andersen has been with the team since joining as an unrestricted free agent before the 2021-22 season, he has not played a full season in Carolina. He has been plagued with injuries or dealing with a blood clotting issue in his three seasons. Despite those setbacks, he has been solid when available. Regarding Kochetkov, it might be time to hand the keys over to the 25-year-old Russian netminder.
During the 2023-24 season, Kochetkov finished 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). The Hurricanes and head coach Rod Brind’Amour leaned heavily on him for most of the season with Andersen out due to blood clots and Antti Raanta struggling in the net. Furthermore, last season proved he can take the bulk of starts while being in a tandem with a reliable backup acting as the number two or 1B.
Related: Pyotr Kochetkov Taking Control of Hurricanes’ Starting Goalie Role
Kochetkov is going into the second year of his four-year contract that he signed with the Hurricanes in November 2022. The $2 million annual average value (AAV) is still one of the most reasonable deals for young netminders in the NHL. By contrast, Andersen’s $3.4 million AAV will come off the books at the end of the season, which will give the Hurricanes more cap space next offseason to find another backup for Kochetkov. While we are ways away from figuring out who the Hurricanes will pair next season with the Penza, Russia native, it makes sense to know the net will be his sooner than later.
As the 2023-24 season progressed, it became more evident that Kochetkov could be the guy for the Hurricanes going…
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