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.
More like deep Cup thrombosis. Get Lord Stanley ready!