Carolina Hurricanes rookie goalie Brandon Bussi's hot streak is making NHL history, and he's making it very tempting for Carolina to trade some of their netminding depth for depth in other areas. And this writer's opinion is that the Canes should be trading veteran goalie Frederik Andersen.
For some time now, the goaltending position has been a question mark for the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite being one of the higher-ranked teams in the league in recent years, the Hurricanes have not been able to make it beyond the Eastern Conference final.
One of the reasons why is the performance of the netminding tandem of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov.
For reasons we’ll explore below, there haven’t been enough consistently above-average performances in net. But something funny happened on Oct. 5: the Hurricanes claimed rookie goalie Brandon Bussi off waivers from the Florida Panthers, and all Bussi has done this season is make NHL history by being the first to win 10 of his first 11 appearances.
Consequently, the ‘Canes have been carrying three goalies – Bussi, Andersen and Kochetkov. Carrying three goalies is a luxury many teams don’t have, so the question is, is it time to consider moving one of the three, or should they hang onto their goaltender depth?
From this writer’s perspective, the answer to that question is, yes, Carolina should be trading one of their goaltending trio, and the goalie they should be moving is Andersen.
Why? Well, unless you’ve got three goalies who are all giving you above-average netminding, there are much better ways to use up a roster spot in other areas. Every elite team needs depth to help them get through the grind, but having two goalies who can carry their weight is enough depth, and with Carolina specifically, they could use an extra defenseman or forward more than they could use three goalies.
Why Andersen? Well, because while he has been fairly good when he’s been healthy, Andersen has had serious struggles to stay healthy.
Bussi’s .910 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average stand out because Andersen and Kochetkov’s numbers stand out for the wrong reasons.
Andersen currently has an .875 SP and a 3.15 GAA in 14 appearances this year. But the bigger issue is that, since his first year as a Hurricane in 2021-22, when he appeared in 52 games, Andersen hasn't played more than 34 games in a single season, and in the past two seasons combined before the 2025-26 campaign, he appeared in only 38 games.
When you’re spending more time on the shelf than on the ice, you’re sending out red flags. And those health struggles, combined with this year’s slow start, have made Andersen expendable. Andersen is signed until the end of the 2025-26 campaign at $2.75 million, and there’s a reason why he’s not earning star goalie money: he’s not a star goalie.
Now, Kotchetkov shouldn’t escape criticism because he’s earning $2 million this season and next year. But numbers don’t lie – and Kochetkov’s numbers (including a .915 SP and 1.96 GAA) are significantly better than Andersen’s this season. Kotchetkov is still only 26 years old, so a partnership with the 27-year-old Bussi would at best keep them together for the short and long term.
Bussi’s dominance has changed Carolina’s big picture when it comes to their netminders. If they can get something on the trade market for Andersen – a not-unreasonable request, given how few goalies are available via trades right now – the Hurricanes are going to convert him into an asset in the long haul. That possibility makes it well worth the Canes’ while to turn their goaltending depth from a three-man operation into a tandem and become an ever bigger threat to win it all.
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