The Hurricanes activated starting goaltender Frederik Andersen from injured reserve Friday, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports. Carolina returned third-string netminder Dustin Tokarski to AHL Chicago in a corresponding transaction to keep their active roster at the 23-player limit.
Whether Andersen makes his first start in nearly three months tonight against the Golden Knights remains to be seen, but he’s been cleared to resume game action after missing almost all of the regular season to date with a knee injury. The 35-year-old last played in a 4-1 win over the Kraken on Oct. 26 before landing on the shelf and undergoing surgery nearly one month later after non-surgical options for his recovery failed.
When Andersen underwent knee surgery in late November, the team issued an eight-to-12-week timeline. His activation comes exactly eight weeks after the Nov. 22 procedure.
Andersen has been gearing up for about a week and a half, returning to the ice on his own early this month. For now, his return should quiet talks of the Hurricanes aggressively pursuing a netminder, although that could change in an instant with Andersen missing the vast majority of the past three seasons due to various injuries and a blood-clotting issue.
The Danish netminder told reporters today, including the team’s Walt Ruff, that he didn’t have any “real setbacks” during his recovery. Andersen missed nearly half of the shortened 2020-21 season with a knee injury while he was a member of the Maple Leafs, and he was also held out of the 2022 postseason with Carolina due to a lower-body injury.
If he can remain healthy, which is a huge caveat at this stage of his career, Andersen is far and away the team’s best option between the pipes. Since signing with the Canes in 2021, he’s had a .919 SV% and 2.19 GAA in 106 appearances, including a .933 SV% in his 20 appearances since the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
In four appearances to begin the year, Andersen sparkled with a 3-1-0 record, .941 SV%, and 1.48 GAA. He saved 2.9 goals above expected at even strength and stopped all 14 of the high-danger chances he faced.
When iced, he’s still an elite netminder, a higher-ceiling option than the far younger but more consistent Pyotr Kochetkov. The 25-year-old has been serviceable as Carolina’s de facto starter this season with Andersen on the shelf, guiding them to a 16-9-2 record in his 28 appearances. His SV% is .901 and his GAA is 2.54. Considering Carolina’s staunch defense has allowed the fewest 5-on-5 shot attempts of any team in the league, those league-average numbers aren’t particularly impressive.
Andersen’s return ends the veteran Tokarki’s first stint on an NHL roster that involved game action since February 2023. The 35-year-old farmhand played well in temporary backup duty behind Kochetkov, posting a 4-2-0 record, a .902 SV% and a 2.18 GAA in six appearances.
It concludes a nice story for Tokarski, who started the season at home after failing to land a contract from a camp tryout with the Senators. He eventually landed an AHL deal with the Hurricanes’ affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, before Andersen’s injury and Kochetkov’s brief absence led Carolina to tear it up and replace it with an NHL pact. Tokarski posted a sparkling .933 SV% in five AHL contests earlier this year and will continue backstopping the Hurricanes’ minor-league prospects.
Great news for Carolina, But they will be holding there collective breathe.