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Frederik Andersen

Hurricanes Notes: Svechnikov, Aho, Andersen

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While he wasn’t ready for the beginning of the regular season as once expected, Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov is still making positive strides in his recovery from a major knee injury sustained in March. Today, he shed the no-contact designation at Hurricanes practice for the first time, relays team editorial content producer and reporter Walt Ruff.

Svechnikov is still within the bounds of his initial six-to-nine-month recovery timeline, and while it’s disappointing he wasn’t ready to play on opening night, he hasn’t sustained any setbacks and is likely on track to make his season debut before the end of the month. Remarkably, scoring goals hasn’t been Carolina’s issue in Svechnikov’s absence. Instead, it’s been keeping them out – their 30 goals against in 2023-24 is the worst in the league by a significant margin. That’s far from what anyone expected after the Hurricanes, already revered as one of the better-structured teams in the league, added Dmitry Orlov to their blueline this summer and retained a goalie trio of Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta that’s done well for them in recent campaigns.

Other notes from Carolina today:

  • The Hurricanes have had to play their last two outings without their two best point-producing forwards, as number-one center Sebastian Aho has joined Svechnikov on the injured list for the past three games. After notching a goal and two assists in his first three contests, Aho was a full participant in today’s practice, says Ruff, and the door is open for him to return to the lineup tomorrow against the Lightning. Teuvo Teräväinen has played fill-in duty on the team’s top line in Aho’s absence, centering Michael Bunting and Martin Necas. The 29-year-old has four goals in six games after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign.
  • Ruff also relays that the injured Andersen is indeed close to a return, making an appearance at today’s practice that followed the return of Kochetkov on loan to AHL Syracuse. Andersen was injured in a recent game against the Sharks after taking a puck to the face. The 34-year-old Dane has struggled in three appearances so far this year, but he’s still been the best out of the Canes’ netminders, leading the team with a .855 SV% and 4.15 GAA.

Injury Updates: Hurricanes, Boldy, Granlund, Bertuzzi

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The Hurricanes are likely to be without center Sebastian Aho tonight against Colorado, relays NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding (Twitter link).  The 26-year-old has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury but skated after the game-day skate today, suggesting he won’t be out much longer.  Aho has three points in his first three games so far this season and is coming off his fourth season out of the last five with at least 30 goals.

Meanwhile, while goaltender Frederik Andersen also took part in the morning skate today, he, too, isn’t expected to be available for this game.  He exited Tuesday’s game in San Jose early after taking a shot off the mask and hasn’t suited up since.  The Hurricanes brought up Pyotr Kochetkov earlier this week and he is currently serving as the backup to veteran Antti Raanta.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Wild winger Matt Boldy skated on Friday for the first time as he works his way back from an upper-body injury sustained earlier this week in Toronto, notes John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. However, head coach Dean Evason was quick to point out that this doesn’t mean that Boldy is nearing a return; the week-to-week designation remains.  The 22-year-old had 31 goals last season and will be a big part of Minnesota’s attack when he’s able to return.
  • While Sharks forward Mikael Granlund is on San Jose’s five-game road trip, there’s still no timeline for when he might return, mentions Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. The 31-year-old played in the season opener but has been out with a lower-body injury since then; with Logan Couture still out, San Jose is down two of their top veterans.  Granlund has already been on IR for the minimum of seven days and will be eligible to return as soon as he is cleared.
  • After being a game-time decision on Thursday, Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi will suit up tonight in Tampa Bay, mentions TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). Head coach Sheldon Keefe recently mentioned that Bertuzzi isn’t fully healthy which left his status for today’s game in question.  The 28-year-old is off to a quiet start with his new club, recording just one point (a goal) through his first four games.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Frederik Andersen

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The Carolina Hurricanes are close to keeping Frederik Andersen around, with NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reporting a two-year deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirms a cap hit of $3.4MM per season.

Combined with today’s signing of Antti Raanta, the Hurricanes have now retained their entire three-goalie group from last season into this year. Seeing the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with a stable of quality goalies the Hurricanes are looking to employ a similar strategy.

Andersen, 34 next season, has typically been Carolina’s lead netminder and has a .915 save percentage across two seasons with the Hurricanes. He came in fourth place in Vezina Trophy voting last season and shared the Jennings Trophy with Raanta, showcasing the upside he has in the right situation.

But this past year Andersen’s numbers declined, likely allowing the Hurricanes to re-sign Andersen at a pay cut from the $4.5MM he earned on his last contract.

Assuming he can have another season or two more in like with his career form, this will end up a solid investment for Carolina as they continue to work towards a goalie situation more focused on the young Kochetkov.

Atlantic Notes: Andersen, Kerfoot, Panthers UFAs

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Goaltender Frederik Andersen’s future with the Carolina Hurricanes remains uncertain, as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic suggests the Danish netminder is likely to test the UFA market today. While the door isn’t entirely closed on a return to the Hurricanes, speculations have surfaced about potential landing spots for the experienced netminder, including the Ottawa Senators, who Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch says will be calling when the market opens at 11 am CT.

As Garrioch notes, Andersen played under Senators head coach D.J. Smith when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Smith was an assistant for part of Andersen’s tenure. The team is looking for a veteran to supplement Anton Forsberg in the crease after deciding not to re-sign Cam Talbot, as well as providing insurance for young third-string netminder Mads Sogaard – another Dane to whom Andersen would provide invaluable mentorship.

Per LeBrun, the Pittsburgh Penguins could also attempt to sign Andersen if re-signing Tristan Jarry falls through. The Senators, on the other hand, are also still holding discussions with Travis Hamonic, but Garrioch says it’s unclear in which direction negotiations are headed.

More from the Atlantic Division this morning:

  • After a four-season stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, forward Alexander Kerfoot is set to hit the open market, per Postmedia’s Lance Hornby. While there is a possibility of a potential return to Toronto, it hinges on the financial demands that Kerfoot’s new contract may entail – they’re not willing to overpay on market value to retain him and would rather keep their salary cap flexibility open to get some new names on the UFA market. After being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 Nazem Kadri trade, Kerfoot totaled 40 goals, 94 assists, and 134 points in 285 games for Toronto in a middle-six role.
  • The Florida Panthers are gearing up for free agency, with their main focus on strengthening their defense corps, which is set to be hit with significant injuries to start 2023-24 in Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. While the team aims to secure players on shorter-term contracts, two of their UFAs, Radko Gudas and Lucas Carlsson, could still receive offers to return to the Panthers, general manager Bill Zito told reporters, including The Hockey News’ David Dwork. Gudas has been an invaluable shutdown defender since joining the Panthers in 2020, also compiling over 200 penalty minutes during his time in Florida whilst in a bottom-pairing role. Carlsson, on the other hand, is likely to receive a lot of NHL interest after an impressive season with the Charlotte Checkers, leading all AHL defensemen in goals. He could vie for an everyday role out of camp, with injuries opening up roster spots.

Goalie Notes: Andersen/Raanta, Jarry, Korpisalo

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The Carolina Hurricanes will have a big decision to make this offseason when it comes to their crease. It seemed like a forgone conclusion that one of Frederik Andersen or Antti Raanta would be allowed to walk in free agency as the Hurricanes already have netminder Pyotr Kochetkov locked up for a very reasonable $2MM per season. But according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic the Hurricanes appear to be in negotiations with both Andersen and Raanta. While it seems unusual for a team that normally has an internal budget to stash a $2MM player in the minors, Kochetkov is still waiver exempt for one more season meaning Carolina could roll back the trio for one more year. That might be the prudent thing to do given that the club needed all three goalies this past year to navigate the various injuries that they dealt with throughout the campaign. Andersen was just okay in the regular season but was terrific in the playoffs, while Raanta had a good regular season but had his fair share of struggles in the postseason.

In other goalie notes:

  • LeBrun writes that Pittsburgh Penguins new boss Kyle Dubas has yet to approach the Tristan Jarry situation in any meaningful way and that things still appear to be status quo. Dubas has historically been reluctant to commit major dollars or term to goaltenders and given the injury history and inconsistency in Jarry’s game, it seems unlikely he would commit either to the 28-year-old. Jarry is likely looking for a long-term deal and a return to Pittsburgh seems unlikely unless the bottom falls out of the market, and he decides Pittsburgh is a good soft landing for him. Jarry went 24-13-7 this past season as he and the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons. The Surrey, British Columbia native posted a .909 save percentage for the second time in the past three seasons and has yet to demonstrate that he can win in the playoffs.
  • LeBrun writes that netminder Joonas Korpisalo and the Los Angeles Kings have had some initial conversations on a contract extension but given how close the Kings are to the cap they may have a tough time fitting in a big cap number on a goaltender. It appears Joonas Korpisalo will hit the open market and he could be an intriguing name for teams looking to make a move in the crease. While he was terrific this past season, Korpisalo has posted a goals saved above expected number higher than -7 every season from 2017-18 through 2021-22 and a save percentage above .915 just once. Given his track record he may be best suited in a 1A/1B tandem situation similar to the Carolina Hurricanes structure with Andersen and Raanta.

Evening Notes: Olofsson, Senators, Andersen

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Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News wrote today that Buffalo Sabres forward Victor Olofsson, and his representatives expect him to be traded prior to the start of training camp in September. Olofsson has spent his entire five-year career with the Sabres where he has put up 167 points in 263 NHL games. This news isn’t all that surprising given that the soon to be 28-year-old is just a year away from being an unrestricted free agent and he was a healthy scratch for the Sabres down the stretch while they were battling for a playoff position.

The Swedish forward has been remarkably consistent in his career notching at least 20 goals in three of his last four seasons with the lockout shortened 2020-21 season being the one year he didn’t reach the mark. This past season Olofsson set a career high with 28 goals in 75 games to go along with 12 assists, but he has been made expendable by the emergence of several Sabres forward prospects and his pricey $4.75MM cap hit. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has reportedly been very active on the trade market as he tries to get Buffalo back to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

In other evening notes:

  • The sale of the Ottawa Senators franchise may finally be entering its final days. This is according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia who has been tirelessly reporting on the process. It seems likely that the new owner will be either Michael Andlauer or Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group, however Los Angeles producer Neko Sparks remains in the mix but seems less likely to be the preferred bidder. League sources told Garrioch that they are confident there are no more major hurdles to clear leading them to believe they are on the verge of closing out the eight-month process. It’ll be interesting to see if the bid comes close to the $1B bid that was apparently posted by Steve Apostolopoulos, who has since left the bidding after he reportedly became frustrated with the process.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes tweeted today that defender Amalie Andersen has inked a one-year contract with the Buffalo Beauts and become the first Danish born player to sign in the Premier Hockey Federation. The 23-year-old is the younger sister of Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen and played four years at the University of Maine where she put up two goals and seven assists in 60 career games. The Beauts are one of the founding teams in the PHF having started with three other clubs back in 2015 while the league was named the National Women’s Hockey League.

East Notes: DeBrincat, Hurricanes, Pesce

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In recent days, the trade market for Ottawa Senators forward Alex DeBrincat has heated up, as many sources have indicated that DeBrincat has given the Senators a list of teams that he would prefer to be traded to. As the Ottawa organization prepares to go through a sale in the next couple of weeks, DeBrincat has seemed to be apathetic towards signing a long-term deal with the Senators given the cloudy ownership situation.

To throw a little bit of cold water on the idea that DeBrincat may be moved by draft day this season, Steve Warne of The Hockey News reports from a source close to the family that DeBrincat is more than happy to continue his career in Canada’s capital. To quote the article, Warne writes, “[T]he 25-year-old winger remains open to staying with the Senators, but he is looking for term and wants to make sure he gets this right“.

Behind the scenes, it isn’t easy to fully ascertain the entire thought process that DeBrincat is putting into this situation, or which way he is leaning up to this point. All news indicates that he has not decided, but the Senators have given the young forward a deadline. By the draft, General Manager Pierre Dorion needs an answer from DeBrincat, as to whether he will sign a long-term deal in Ottawa, or if the team could make a trade to recoup some resources for his services.

Other notes:

  • With plenty of serviceable goaltenders set to hit the open market this summer, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are seeking to have their situation figured out sooner rather than later. Pagnotta did not hint to the point of anything being close, but simply that the Hurricanes are engaged in extension talks with both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Realistically, Carolina will only keep around one of these netminders, likely having to determine the value proposition the team would receive from each based on their desired salary values. Having already signed Pyotr Kochetkov to a contract extension, the Hurricanes would likely be more than fine moving forward with only retaining one of these netminders.
  • Continuing on with the Hurricanes, David Pagnotta also reports that defenseman, Brett Pesce, has switched over his agent representation, joining Judd Moldaver of EVP Wasserman Hockey. Next season, Pesce will be entering the final year of a six-year, $24.15MM contract extension signed back in 2017. Over the last several seasons, Pesce’s contract has become one of the more team-friendly contracts in the NHL, and he and his agent will surely be looking for a significant raise next summer.

 

Hurricanes Notes: UFAs, Noesen, Svechnikov

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The Carolina Hurricanes had one of the most shocking playoff exits in recent memory, swept out of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers after dropping just three games in the first two rounds combined. The combination of key injuries and some outstanding performances from star Panthers left them searching for answers again.

Now, with free agency right around the corner, news poured out of the Hurricanes’ locker cleanout day:

  • It started with captain Jordan Staal, who explained that he doesn’t plan to play anywhere but Carolina next season. The pending UFA will be 35 before the 2023-24 campaign kicks off, but loves being a Hurricane and wants to come back. He even went so far as to say that he wants to finish his career in Carolina.
  • Frederik Andersen, a pending free agent, also wants to return. That’s his “priority” as the two-year deal he signed in 2021 comes to an end. Both Andersen and fellow veteran goaltender Antti Raanta are set to hit the open market, while Pyotr Kochetkov’s new four-year deal kicks in.
  • There was also some injury news, though, with Stefan Noesen explaining that he suffered a grade three shoulder separation. Fortunately, it isn’t expected to require surgery, meaning he’ll be ready for the start of next year. Noesen, 30, finally found a home in Carolina, scoring 13 goals and 36 points in 78 games.
  • Andrei Svechnikov, who had to watch the entire playoff run after suffering a serious knee injury, was optimistic about his recovery timeline and told reporters he’d be on the ice in a month. His absence was certainly felt in the Florida series, after scoring 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games this season.

Snapshots: Reynolds, Andersen, Vegas Goalies

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Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch is reporting this morning that actor Ryan Reynolds has officially pulled himself out of the running to own a stake in the Ottawa Senators, per sources. Reynolds, who had aligned himself with Canadian developer Chris Bratty and the Remington Group, intended not to join other bids at the beginning of the sale process and has held true to his initial position, despite offers from groups still in the running to join their bids.

Garrioch also reports that Michael Andlauer, a minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens and one of the four bidders remaining under consideration to purchase the team, remains “confident” he’ll be the party anointed by the team and the league as Ottawa’s next owner. Two other bids were also receiving “serious consideration,” per Garrioch, but one name notably not mentioned was Neko Sparks, the Los Angeles-based investor whose bid includes backing from Snoop Dogg and the Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg First Nations group.

  • After he was given the night off for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, thanks to Game 1 stretching well into the fourth overtime period, the Carolina Hurricanes are returning to Frederik Andersen tonight, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, to help them climb out of a 2-0 series hole against the Florida Panthers. His .936 save percentage leads all netminders in the playoffs, but unfortunately, the only goalie who’s played better than he, Sergei Bobrovsky, is in the opposing crease.
  • Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson will remain out of the Vegas Golden Knights goalie rotation for Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Final, as head coach Bruce Cassidy today confirmed they won’t travel with the team to Dallas. While Brossoit wasn’t expected to play at all in this series, Thompson is working his way back from a lower-body injury that’s cost him the last few months and was potentially an option for the team. Adin Hill, who now boasts a .930 save percentage in seven playoff appearances, will continue in the starter’s net for Vegas.

Vasily Ponomarev Will Travel With Hurricanes

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The Carolina Hurricanes could not seal the deal on home ice in game five and will have to travel to face the New York Islanders tomorrow night. Unfortunately, one player won’t be making the trip.

Jack Drury will not travel with the Hurricanes after suffering an injury in game four. Instead, team reporter Walt Ruff tweets that Vasily Ponomarev will be traveling as the extra forward.

Ponomarev, 21, was a second-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2020 and has yet to make his NHL debut. In his first full season of AHL action, he put up 24 goals and 46 points in 64 games for the Chicago Wolves.

While he isn’t expected to enter the lineup, just being the next man up shows how much the Hurricanes’ depth has been tested. Teuvo Teravainan, Andrei Svechnikov, Max Pacioretty, and Ondrej Kase would likely be in the lineup if healthy, but the group must find a way to win without them.

Ruff adds that Frederik Andersen is a possibility for tomorrow’s game, after missing the first several with injury. The veteran netminder hasn’t played since April 13.

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