Already without Frederik Andersen long-term, the Hurricanes won’t have fellow goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov for the time being as he’s now in concussion protocol, meaning their current tandem is Spencer Martin and Yaniv Perets. To that end, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that Carolina is looking into what options might exist on the trade market. Andersen is out for at least two more months while Kochetkov’s timeline is less certain. The Hurricanes are almost right at the salary cap limit per PuckPedia while they do have nearly $2.4MM in LTIR room if needed. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if Carolina was looking into players on lower-cost deals to try to give them a small upgrade between the pipes in the short term.
Hurricanes Rumors
Blake And Martin Recalled Following Sunday's Paper Demotion
- The Hurricanes have recalled winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin from their latest paper loan to AHL Chicago. Both players have been shuffled back and forth routinely in cap-saving moves.
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Hurricanes Reassign Tyson Jost, Pyotr Kochetkov Out Indefinitely
The Hurricanes announced they’ve reassigned forward Tyson Jost to AHL Chicago. They haven’t done anything to fill his roster spot, although head coach Rod Brind’Amour also confirmed that goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has entered concussion protocol after leaving Saturday’s shootout loss to the Blue Jackets and doesn’t have a timeline for a return (per the team’s Walt Ruff).
Carolina is now officially without their top two goaltenders for the foreseeable future. Starter Frederik Andersen hasn’t played in nearly a month and recently underwent knee surgery that will keep him out of action until January or February.
Kochetkov, 25, left the Columbus game during overtime after teammate Sean Walker inadvertently skated into his head while trying to stop a rush chance from Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. There appeared to be significant whiplash on the play, but as with any head injury and subsequent concussion, Kochetkov’s absence could be anywhere from a week to more than a month.
A 2019 second-round pick, the young Kochetkov has had to step up many times in recent seasons with injury-prone veterans Andersen and Antti Raanta ahead of him. He started the year as the undisputed No. 2 for the first time after Raanta became an unrestricted free agent and wasn’t brought back following a brutal 2023-24 campaign. He’s done well in 13 starts, posting a 10-2-0 record with a .904 SV% and 2.42 GAA. That’s been good enough for 3.9 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, up from last year’s 0.7 mark despite his decreased SV% and GAA.
The buck now falls on 29-year-old journeyman Spencer Martin and inexperienced 24-year-old Yaniv Perets, although it’s hard to imagine the championship-contending Hurricanes not making a move to add a more stable name to their crease if Kochetkov trends toward missing significant time. Perets has not logged NHL ice aside from stopping one shot in less than 13 minutes of action in a game against the Kings in January of last season, although he served as a backup for Carolina once earlier this month. Martin, meanwhile, has a 1-2-1 record with a .870 SV% and 3.21 GAA in three starts and one relief appearance since coming up to the roster in October in relief of Andersen.
Perets’ minor-league numbers this season don’t portray him as a legitimate NHL option, even in a pinch. The undrafted free agent signing out of Quinnipiac in 2023 has just a .825 SV% and a 3.67 GAA in three AHL appearances for Chicago this season and had a subpar .889 mark in 34 games for ECHL Norfolk in 2023-24.
Jost, 26, heads back to the minors after going without a point in his last six games. The 5’11” center/left winger signed a one-year deal for the league-minimum $775K with Carolina over the offseason after being non-tendered by the Sabres, but he was waived and assigned to Chicago shortly after making the opening night roster. The Canes recalled him just over two weeks ago after he put up a goal and two assists in eight minor-league games, but he averaged just 9:20 through seven NHL appearances with a goal on eight shots. Since he remained on the active roster for fewer than 30 days and played less than 10 games, he doesn’t need waivers to return to the AHL.
Hurricanes Activate Seth Jarvis, Recall Yaniv Perets, Assign Ty Smith
The Carolina Hurricanes have activated top forward Seth Jarvis from injured reserved. Jarvis missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury. He returned to practice in a no-contact jersey on November 19th. In a corresponding move, Carolina also recalled goaltender Yaniv Perets and assigned defender Ty Smith.
Jarvis will return ahead of a three-game homestand for the Hurricanes, giving a much-needed boost to a Carolina offense that got outscored by New Jersey and Columbus in their last two outings. Jarvis has 11 points through 13 games this season, returning to a pivotal role in the team’s top-six and special teams. He’s coming off a prolific 2023-24 campaign, scoring 33 goals and 67 points despite playing most of the season injured. The 22-year-old has established himself as a pillar of the Carolina lineup, and will now get a chance to get back to point-per-game scoring. His return will likely bump William Carrier or Tyson Jost out of the lineup, with Eric Robinson hanging onto his role with four points in his last four games.
Carolina also bolsters their net with this move, recalling Perets following a scary injury to de facto starter Pyotr Kochetkov. No update on Kochetkov’s prognosis has been given, but Perets’ recall suggests Carolina will deal with at least a few days without their top netminder. They’ll now have to decide between Spencer Martin and Perets for the starting role. Martin has a 1-2-1 record and .870 save percentage through five NHL games this year. Perets hasn’t made his first career NHL start yet, but has stepped into three AHL games – with a .825 save percentage through three games. With both goalies on NHL recalls, the Chicago Wolves are left with Dustin Tokarski and Ruslan Khazheyev in their net.
The Hurricanes will move forward with an improved offense, but tattered goaltending room. They’re 6-3-1 through their last 10 games, outscoring opponents 39-to-28.
Blake, Martin Papered To AHL Chicago Again
- The Hurricanes have returned winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin to the minors, per the AHL’s transactions log, though these are almost certainly just paper moves to bank additional cap space. Blake has five goals in 19 games with Carolina in his first full professional season which is a solid start for the 21-year-old. Martin, meanwhile, has played in four NHL contests so far in 2024-25, putting up a 3.25 GAA with a .868 SV%. He has been much better in similarly limited action with AHL Chicago, however, compiling a 2.32 GAA and a .920 SV% in his first three outings.
Frederik Andersen To Undergo Knee Surgery, Out 8-12 More Weeks
11:22 a.m.: Andersen will undergo knee surgery as reported on Friday, the team confirmed. They issued a slightly less optimistic return timeline of eight to 12 weeks.
10:11 a.m.: Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen will undergo a minor knee procedure that will keep him sidelined for an additional eight weeks, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports Thursday.
Andersen, 35, has not played since Oct. 26 with what the team initially termed as a lower-body injury. He was subsequently ruled out week-to-week before being downgraded to indefinite last Friday.
Over the weekend, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal confirmed that Andersen’s injury was unrelated to the deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism that kept him out for most of the 2023-24 campaign. Lavalette also said that the team was still determining whether surgery would be required, a decision they’ve now made considering today’s report.
Andersen is still on the Canes’ active roster, but he can be flexed to injured reserve or long-term injured reserve if necessary. The first goaltender in NHL history to hail from Denmark was excellent to start the season, posting a 3-1-0 record, 1.48 GAA and .941 SV% in four appearances.
LeBrun called the procedure a “clean-up” surgery, potentially stemming from the knee injury that kept him out for half of the shortened 2020-21 campaign while with the Maple Leafs. It will mark the fifth straight season in which Andersen has been sidelined for over a month due to an injury.
Despite the health issues, Andersen, a two-time Jennings Trophy winner, is still one of the league’s premier netminders. Since arriving in Carolina as a free agent in 2021, his .919 SV% is tied with the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin for third in the league among goaltenders with at least 100 starts. His 2.19 GAA is the lowest by a wide margin, ahead of Linus Ullmark’s 2.33.
An eight-week return timeline makes Andersen available in late January, weeks ahead of the trade deadline. Where he is in his recovery around New Year’s will likely influence Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky’s aggressiveness in adding goaltending help on the trade market.
For now, though, it will remain a Pyotr Kochetkov–Spencer Martin tandem in Carolina. The former has been stellar lately, posting a .930 SV% or higher in four of his last five starts. He has a 10-2-0 record, .907 SV%, 2.30 GAA, and 1.8 GSAA in 12 starts this year, while his 5.0 goals saved above expected rank 16th in the league, per MoneyPuck.
Andersen will be an unrestricted free agent next summer after completing the two-year, $6.8MM deal he signed to return to the Canes in 2023.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Jarvis Skates In Non-Contact Jersey
- While Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis skated today in a non-contact jersey, he is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia, relays team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). The 22-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury and was moved to injured reserve retroactive to last week, meaning he can be activated as soon as he gets the green light to return. Jarvis is off to a solid start to his season with four goals and seven assists in 13 games before sustaining the injury.
Blake And Martin Recalled After Paper Demotions
- The Hurricanes are continuing their near-daily movement as they’ve recalled winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin from AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. Blake has been sent down five times already but hasn’t played with the Wolves and with five goals and two assists in 17 games with Carolina, he probably won’t anytime soon. Meanwhile, even though Carolina is using Pyotr Kochetkov and Martin as their tandem with Frederik Andersen injured, the Hurricanes haven’t moved Andersen to IR which allows them to continue to paper Martin down on off days while technically remaining compliant with roster minimums.
Snapshots: Wild, Perets, Edvinsson, Rasmussen
The Minnesota Wild have assigned forwards Liam Ohgren and Michael Milne, and defender Daemon Hunt, to the AHL as they anticipate the return of Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek. Michael Russo of The Athletic points out that, even with the two veterans returning, the team will likely call another forward up in the coming days.
Ohgren made his return to the lineup, and Milne his NHL debut, in Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Stars. Neither had much to show for their minutes, with Ohgren recording two shots in 12:10 and Milne recording three hits in 6:34. Another scoreless night pulled Ohgren through his eighth game this season with no points. Hunt hasn’t stepped into the lineup since being recalled on November 12th, though he did play one NHL game in October. All three have been far more productive with the AHL’s Iowa Wild – where Ohgren has four goals in four games; Hunt has two assists in six games; and Milne has eight points in 10 games. Ohgren and Milne will be the top options to be quickly recalled, though Minnesota could also turn towards veteran pros like Ben Jones, Travis Boyd, or Devin Shore.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Carolina Hurricanes have sent goaltender Yaniv Perets back to the minor leagues with Pyotr Kochetkov set to return from injury per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Kochetkov missed Carolina’s Saturday win over Ottawa with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour describing Kochetkov as “banged up” to postgame media including NHL.com’s Matt Komma was the closest indication of Kochetkov’s hold up. Whatever the issue was, the young netminder is set to reassume his familiar role as de facto starter with Frederik Andersen out long-term. Kochetkov has eight wins and a .897 save percentage through 10 games this season. Meanwhile, Perets has only served as backup in his NHL call-ups this season. He’s posted a .825 save percentage in three AHL games this year, and will return to a crowded Chicago Wolves goaltender room beside Spencer Martin and Ruslan Khazheyev.
- Forward Michael Rasmussen (upper-body) and defenseman Simon Edvinsson (lower-body) are both expected to return to the lineup on Monday per the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Both players sat out of the team’s Saturday night loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Rasmussen has found a role in Detroit’s bottom-six, recording four points through 16 games this season. Edvinsson has proven far more impactful, usually serving as the go-to partner for star Wings defender Moritz Seider. Edvinsson has six points in 16 games this season, putting him on pace for 30 points in his rookie year.
Andersen Could Require Surgery, Jarvis Moved To IR
- Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen’s injury is not related to the blood clots that kept him out for a significant chunk of last season, notes Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal (Twitter link). After initially being listed as out week-to-week, he’s now out for considerably longer than that. Lavalette adds that the team is weighing the possibility of Andersen having surgery although no decision has been made on that front yet.
- Still with the Hurricanes, the team announced that winger Seth Jarvis has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 10th. He has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and the team hopes he can return to practice next week. Because of the retroactive placement, he’s eligible to be reactivated as soon as Sunday. The move creates a roster spot for recently-recalled goaltender Yaniv Perets with the team also quietly recalling Ty Smith late Thursday.