Last year, the Carolina Hurricanes became the fastest team in NHL history to have three goaltenders all reach the 10-win mark in one season (49 games) and the trio was just the 14th all-time to accomplish the feat.
However, the original duo of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta only became a trio with Pyotr Kochetkov out of necessity after Andersen and Raanta struggled to stay healthy.
But regardless of health concerns, each goaltender managed to put together solid seasons with both Andersen and Raanta finishing off strong in the postseason.
And despite expiring deals, the Canes managed to keep the trio together - and at a cheaper price tag no less.
So the Hurricanes are heading into the 2023-24 season perhaps in the same exact boat that they were in last year. Will the three goalie rotation stick around?
"The day of goalies playing 55-60 games are behind us for the most part," said Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell in his end-of-season interview. "Some guys still do, but I think our situation, if we have to use a three goalie system, we’ve learned this year that we’re fine with that. At the end of the day, the bottom line is that there will be three goaltenders that compete for those jobs.”
What can we expect from the Hurricanes' goaltending?
Carolina's anticipated starter for the 2023-24 season is once again expected to be Andersen.
The Danish netminder signed a two-year, $3.4 million AAV deal this offseason, a discount from his previous $4.5 million AAV contract.
Despite a disappointing regular season marred by injuries, Andersen proved his mettle in the playoffs leading the Hurricanes to the ECF on the back of an outstanding run, but his goal support simply dried up.
The 6-foot-4 netminder is one of the calmest presences in the game and his massive frame coupled with solid technique allows him to make save after save after save.
Obviously the frequency of injuries is the current concern regarding the "Great Dane" though and as he gets older - he turns 34 in October - those will only compound.
However, if the Canes can keep Andersen on a regulated workload then perhaps the superstar that showed up in the postseason can once again showcase his talents.
Backing up Andersen will also once again be Raanta - "Father Finn" signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal this offseason - although it's more likely that the two will end up splitting the load.
Raanta had a tremendous season last year, with a nearly peerless record at PNC Arena as well (11-0-1 in the regular season).
He led the Hurricanes into the postseason and through five games in the first round before Andersen took back the reins. Raanta would get a game in the ECF and despite the loss, he played at an unreal level in that game too.
Like Andersen though, the concern with Raanta, 34, is his prolific injury history.
But that's where the young guy comes in.
Kochetkov, the Hurricanes' heir apparent in net, is entering the first year of his four-year extension and he'll probably be relied upon just as much this season as he was in the last.
“We believe Kochetkov is our future for sure," Waddell said. "Is he ready for that full-time thing right now? We’ll find out probably beginning next year. But it doesn’t matter who you have. We went through it before these guys were here. This position, we always seem to have injuries, so we’re going to have to have three capable players, that’s for sure. Obviously Kochetkov is going to be one of them. Big pieces there. So for us, the way it worked out this year when we had an injury for Freddie, Rants was going good, then Kochetkov came in and played well."
The Russian netminder's athleticism and hockey senses are some of the best parts of his toolkit and he's already compiled quite a few highlight reel saves because of them.
The biggest question mark with Kochetkov though is his consistency.
When he was first called up, he was outstanding and carried the team for long stretches, but after sustaining a lower-body injury himself, he struggled in a good amount of his remaining starts.
But that area of the game comes with experience.
However, if Andersen and Raanta get into a good, healthy rhythm, there is also the concern that Kochetkov may need to be reassigned to the AHL in order to get that consistent playing time he needs.
That may be quite a headache for the Hurricanes though since the team no longer has an AHL affiliate for the season with the Chicago Wolves going independent.
What Lack of AHL Affiliate Means for Carolina Hurricanes
Despite that, Waddell has stated before that he isn't too worried about finding a team to loan out Kochetkov to if necessary, so we'll see if that proves to be true.
The Hurricanes haven't had stable goaltending in a long while and although Andersen and Raanta have their concerns, the fact of the matter is that they're still competent goaltenders capable of playing at a high level.
Add in a young up-and-comer like Kochetkov and things look very good for Carolina in a position that for so long looked bleak.
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