What are the Carolina Hurricanes’ backup goalie options if another injury occurs?
The Carolina Hurricanes may be in a bind in terms of goaltending. With its oft-injured top tandem of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta already on shaky ground, Carolina figured it was fine with up-and-comer Pyotr Kochetkov there to give the veteran duo extra rest and fill in if — and when — one of the top two tweaked something.
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Andersen, on the other hand, is dealing with a far more serious condition: the Hurricanes announced earlier this month that Andersen is suffering from a blood clotting problem and will be out indefinitely.
The Canes’ first reaction was to bring in free agent veteran Jaroslav Halak for a professional tryout. Last season, Halak served as Igor Shesterkin’s backup for the New York Rangers. Kochetkov was also called up from the AHL by Carolina. Carolina is 4-2 in six games since the Canes announced Andersen’s injury. Raanta improved to 3-1 with Wednesday’s win, despite leaving after the first period with his second “uh-oh” goaltending moment of the month.
Kochetkov is 1-1, with a road shutout, a home loss, and a solid, if not spectacular, “hold” against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Did we also mention that the Canes officially released Halak from his PTO agreement this week? This could be the third “uh-oh.” With the Canes looking for depth between the pipes, here are a few options the team could consider to supplement Kochetkov’s presence if it is concerned Raanta will miss significant time:
HALAK, JAROSLAV We already mentioned him, and the Canes are well-versed in the 38-year-old journeyman, who battled Sidney Crosby in junior hockey among his many accomplishments. With his stellar play in the 2010 playoffs while Price was injured, he once gave Montreal Canadiens management a reason to abandon all-world goalie Carey Price.
Halak was in Carolina looking for his sixth NHL team, and he is just five wins away from reaching 300 in his 581-game NHL career. He has seven 20-game victories and a winning record in all but two of his 18 professional seasons. The Canes could do a lot worse if they want a veteran presence. However, Halak did not practice with an NHL team all summer, and staying sharp to play in the world’s top league is difficult when you aren’t up against top-caliber competition. It’s most likely one of the reasons Halak was fired from his PTO position in the first place.
YANIV PERETS’S Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour is familiar with Yaniv Perets, as Brind’Amour’s son, AHL rookie Skyler Brind’Amour, played with Perets at Quinnipiac University last season, winning an NCAA title with the Bobcats.
Perets signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in April, and he was a regular at rookie camp and training camp during the preseason. Perets was assigned to the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL this season due to the Canes’ lack of an exclusive AHL affiliate. Perets is 2-5-1 with a 2.93 GAA and.900 save percentage in eight games this season. Those numbers don’t scream “NHL-ready,” but he is the Hurricanes’ only other goaltender under contract. That alone qualifies him as a candidate, but winning a national collegiate championship and playing in the NHL are two entirely different things.
BRIAN ELLIOTT’S NAME Brian Elliott is still playing in the NHL? Technically, he is, though, like Halak, he has yet to play this season and has not officially retired from the league.
Elliott most recently played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent two seasons as the primary backup to all-world goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy until the end of last season. Elliott was a respectable 23-12-5 in 41 games over two seasons, with a GAA under 3.00 and a save percentage above.900. Elliott was a top-tier NHL goaltender for several seasons in the early 2010s. His best statistical season was in 2011-12, when he had a 1.56 GAA and.940 save percentage in 38 games. In his 543-game NHL career, he has played for his original team, Ottawa, Colorado, St. Louis, Calgary, Philadelphia, and Tampa.
SMITH, MIKE Mike Smith is fresh off guiding the Edmonton Oilers — yes, those Oilers — to the Western Conference finals two years ago. The veteran goalie, who is now 41 years old, has yet to officially retire from the NHL, though it was rumored he would do so after spending 2022-23 on long-term injured reserve. He has played in 670 regular-season games and 45 playoff games, 16 of which came two years ago when he posted a 3.37 GAA and a .913 save percentage behind a potent offensive Oilers team
