- Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov was not a full participant in practice today and likely remains out for Tuesday’s game against the Canucks, per Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal. Svechnikov missed the last four games before the All-Star break with an upper-body injury, his third multi-game absence of the season. He’s been electric when healthy, cracking the point-per-game plateau for the first time in his career with 11 goals and 19 assists in 29 games. The 2018 second-overall pick has missed 19 games this season due to multiple upper-body injuries, an illness, and continued recovery from knee surgery that ended his 2022-23 campaign last March.
Hurricanes Rumors
Hurricanes Recall Pyotr Kochetkov
As expected, the Hurricanes recalled netminder Pyotr Kochetkov from AHL Chicago on Sunday as the team returns to practice, per CapFriendly. Carolina loaned Kochetkov to Chicago last weekend to bank salary cap space over the All-Star break; he did not appear in any of Chicago’s three games over the past week.
Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Carolina Hurricanes have made their top status in the NHL undeniable this season. They’ve yet to have a losing record, despite facing injuries to top scorer Andrei Svechnikov and multiple goaltenders, including starter Frederik Andersen who is out indefinitely with a blood clotting issue. The Hurricanes have already iced five different goalies through the first half of the season, including waiver claim Spencer Martin and rookie Yaniv Perets. They even had veteran Jaroslav Halak on a professional try-out contract earlier in the season, though the 38-year-old wasn’t able to earn an NHL deal. But Carolina has persevered, fighting their way to ninth in the NHL and ranking in the league’s top 10 in goals for and against. They’ll be gearing up for another long playoff push when the Trade Deadline rolls around.
Record
28-15-5, 2nd in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$8.73MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 41/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, PHI 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
2025: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
Trade Chips
The Carolina Hurricanes have kept their roster fairly tight over the last few seasons and thus, don’t have much in the way of bargaining chips entering trade season. They are once again rumored to be shopping around Tony DeAngelo, who is in his second stint with the team after they traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second, third, and fourth round pick in the 2022 summer. DeAngelo likely hasn’t done much to raise his value since that deal, seeing a decline in his production with 42 points in 70 games last season and just nine in 21 games this year. It’s been coupled with a decreased role, with the 28-year-old averaging just 14 minutes of ice time this season, significantly down from the 22 minutes he averaged with Philadelphia last season. Still, the hope of a revamped role leading to revamped scoring could be enough to convince a deadline seller.
The Hurricanes will otherwise likely be moving on from future assets. They’ve managed to hang on to almost all of their draft picks over the next three drafts and could be poised to cash them in with the wind behind them this season. They’ve also drafted well enough to manage parting with a few top prospects, like winger Noel Gunler who appeared in 42 AHL games and scored 23 points between 2021 and 2023, but is now on loan to the Liiga’s Karpat. Or they could move on from one of their two leading NCAA scorers in Bradly Nadeau – who ranks second on the University of Maine in scoring with 31 points in 22 games – or Cruz Lucius – who leads the University of Wisconsin with 22 points in 24 games.
With Carolina having reportedly taken Brett Pesce off the trade deadline, it’s hard to imagine many other names they’d be excited to move. They’ll be limited to a strict buyer status on deadline day, doomed to part with future capital if they want to build on this season. But they may have a silver lining financially, with CapFriendly estimating the Hurricanes will have roughly $8.7MM in deadline cap space. That could be enough to make bringing on cap feasible, likely cheapening any deal, or helping them contend for the more expensive players on the market.
Team Needs
1) Consistency In Net: The Carolina Hurricanes don’t necessarily need a goaltender. Pyotr Kochetkov has manned the team’s net serviceably, when healthy, tallying 11 wins and a .900 save percentage through 23 games. The 24-year-old is currently in the AHL, looking to make his return from a concussion suffered on January 11th that earned him a stint on injured reserve. Kochetkov’s de facto backup, Antti Raanta, has also managed 12 games this season, though he’s tallied a much lower .870 save percentage. But neither goalie has been able to evade the minors, with Kochetkov not making the Hurricanes out of camp and playing in three AHL games this season, and Raanta getting placed on waivers earlier in the year and appearing in two AHL games.
Consistency in net has been Carolina’s missing piece this year. And while they could continue wishing for better health, this could be the best year to bring in a new name. There’s a long list of quality goaltenders on the trade block, including backups Jake Allen and Marc-Andre Fleury. Both options could come at a cheaper price than top names like Jacob Markstrom or Kaapo Kahkonen, while still providing Carolina with an upgrade over Raanta. With Kochetkov hoping to return from injury soon, the Hurricanes don’t need to sell the lot for a new name. But anyone capable of staying active would provide massive value, especially as the team aims its sights on a deep playoff run.
2) A Big Splash: Carolina hasn’t had much to complain about this season. They’re getting plenty of scoring, with 11 players boasting 20 or more points, including three defensemen. They’re even poised to add a major scoring talent back into the lineup when Andrei Svechnikov returns from an upper-body injury that’s held him out of Carolina’s last three games. But there are plenty of big names on the open market that could put an already-strong Hurricanes team over the top. They could pull off a blockbuster deal to bring in Ottawa’s Jakob Chychrun or Vladimir Tarasenko, Philadelphia’s Sean Walker, or Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel. All four players would provide formidable depth to Carolina, without locking the team into lengthy contracts. It’d be a surefire boost to a Hurricanes lineup that’s pitted up against a strong divisional opponent in the New York Rangers. Carolina doesn’t typically jump for big-name Spring trades, but a rich market could sway them to upgrade while they still can.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Frederik Andersen Cleared To Resume Skating
Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen has been cleared by team doctors to resume “limited on-ice conditioning,” general manager Don Waddell said Wednesday. Andersen, 34, has not played since November with blood clotting issues, which Waddell confirmed today was a deep-vein thrombosis with subsequent pulmonary embolism.
The two-time Jennings Trophy winner has been on anti-coagulation medication since the November diagnosis, Waddell said. He has recently resumed off-ice activities “without complication” and will now move to on-ice work, although he remains sidelined indefinitely.
“I am thrilled that I’m a step closer to joining my teammates and competing on the ice,” Andersen said. “I feel grateful for the help and support I’ve received from my family and doctors, as well as the entire Hurricanes organization.”
It’s still unclear whether Andersen will return to game action this season. The team’s starter in their run to the 2023 Eastern Conference Final has not played since a Nov. 2 loss to the Rangers.
Like everyone else to suit up between the pipes for Carolina this year, Andersen had a slow start. Through six appearances, he posted a subpar .894 SV% and -0.5 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, although he had an SV% north of .920 in his last three starts before the deep-vein thrombosis presented.
Still, when healthy, he holds the de facto starting gig for the second-place team in the Metropolitan Division. In 92 games since joining the Hurricanes in free agency in 2021, he has a sparkling 60-26-4 record with a .914 SV% and 2.32 GAA. After starting last year’s postseason on the shelf with an undisclosed injury, Andersen came in and shut the door with a .927 SV% and 1.83 GAA in nine showings in the second and third rounds against the Devils and Panthers, although it wasn’t enough to help Carolina to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 17 years.
His absence has created a domino effect on the Hurricanes’ goalie depth, forcing them to recall first-year pro Yaniv Perets from ECHL Norfolk on multiple occasions to serve as a backup when injuries and poor play sidelined either veteran Antti Raanta or second-year full-timer Pyotr Kochetkov. Only recently were they able to add experienced depth after claiming Spencer Martin off waivers from the Blue Jackets earlier this month.
Raanta is having the worst season of his career, logging a .870 SV% and -9.9 GSAx that ranks fifth-worst in the league. Luckily for Carolina, the 24-year-old Kochetkov has rebounded from a slow start to post a respectable .900 SV% on the campaign. He now leads Hurricanes goalies with 21 starts this season, although he’s been sidelined since Jan. 11 with a concussion. He was activated from injured reserve last Friday and backed up Raanta in the team’s final game before the All-Star break, though, and will be in line for regular starts again when they return to action next week.
Hurricanes Assign Pyotr Kochetkov To AHL
The Hurricanes loaned netminder Pyotr Kochetkov to AHL Chicago on Sunday, according to the league’s transactions log. However, it’s not a permanent assignment and is only a transaction to bank additional cap space ahead of the trade deadline, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey. Kochetkov will not suit up for the Wolves and will instead rest over the All-Star break after recently being activated from injured reserve.
He’s still waiver-exempt and will re-join the Hurricanes when the All-Star break ends. Their 2019 second-round pick is in the first season of a four-year, $8MM extension signed in Nov. 2022.
Hurricanes Activate Pyotr Kochetkov From IR
Playing in their final game before the All-Star break tomorrow night, the Carolina Hurricanes will see the return of their primary starting goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov. Team reporter for the Hurricanes, Walt Ruff, announces that the team has activated Kochetkov from the injured reserve, and he will be an option for them tomorrow night against the Arizona Coyotes.
Andrei Svechnikov Out On Wednesday With Upper-Body Injury
- Andrei Svechnikov will miss the Carolina Hurricanes’ Wednesday night game with an upper-body injury, per team reporter Walt Ruff. Svechnikov has only appeared in 29 of Carolina’s 45 games this season but he ranks third on the team in scoring with 30 points, including 16 points over his last 10 games.
Andrei Svechnikov Out Tomorrow With Undisclosed Injury
- In an undisclosed injury up to this point, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal is reporting that Carolina Hurricanes’ forward Andrei Svechnikov would miss the team’s game against the Boston Bruins. Already dealing with injuries earlier in the season, Svechnikov has returned at a scorching pace, scoring 11 goals and 30 points in 29 games. In later reporting, Lavalette noted that Svechnikov’s current injury is unrelated to his injury struggles earlier in the year.
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Andrei Svechnikov To Miss Game With Upper-Body Injury
- Yesterday, we covered how Carolina Hurricanes star Andrei Svechnikov missed practice due to health reasons. Today, the Hurricanes announced that Svechnikov will miss tonight’s game due to due to an upper-body injury. Svechnikov has battled injuries over the last two years but has been brilliant, as expected, when healthy. He’s scored 30 points in 29 games this season.
Hurricanes Notes: Kochetkov, Svechnikov, Perets
While Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is in concussion protocol, it doesn’t appear if he’ll be out for too long. Team reporter Walt Ruff relays (Twitter link) that the 24-year-old took part in roughly half of Carolina’s morning skate today with head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicating after that the netminder “looks good and is feeling better”. Kochetkov has a 2.58 GAA and a .900 SV% this season in 23 games, numbers that don’t look great on their own but are a considerable improvement on what they’ve received from veterans Frederik Andersen (before his blood clots) and Antti Raanta. There remains no timetable for Kochetkov’s return but the fact he’s on the ice now suggests that
More from Carolina:
- Also from Ruff’s note, winger Andrei Svechnikov didn’t participate in practice today as he isn’t feeling 100%. The 23-year-old potted the game-winning goal against Detroit on Friday and logged close to his season average for ice time so it’s unclear if he was banged up during that game or if he’s under the weather. After missing the start of the season recovering from a knee injury and missing some time with an upper-body issue in December, Svechnikov has been quite productive, collecting 11 goals and 19 assists in 29 games.
- The team announced that goaltender Yaniv Perets has been assigned to ECHL Norfolk. The move comes as little surprise after Carolina claimed netminder Spencer Martin off waivers from Columbus on Friday. Perets made his NHL debut during this recall, seeing 13 minutes of action in Monday’s loss to Los Angeles. Perets has a 2.62 GAA and a .906 SV% in 15 games in the ECHL this season; with Carolina not having an AHL affiliate, he has to drop a level in order to secure regular playing time.