Hurricanes' Pyotr Kochetkov to have surgery, 'probably' out for season
“It's (the injury) he's been dealing with all year,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters on Monday.
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, coach Rod Brind’Amour announced on Monday.
“It’s (the injury) he’s been dealing with all year,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s decided to have surgery, so he’s probably going to be out for the year. He didn’t feel right all year.”
Kochetkov suffered a lower-body injury in early October that forced him out of the lineup for the rest of that month. He made his season debut Nov. 4 at Madison Square Garden, shutting the New York Rangers out in a 3-0 win. In his eight starts, Kochetkov went 6-2-0 with a .899 save and 2.33 goals-against average.
“He’s been playing great; that’s the hard part,” Brind’Amour said. “He was kind of fighting through it, but doesn’t want to continue that way, so we’ll get it fixed and go from there.”
While Kochetkov will be missed, Carolina is better equipped to deal with the absence than most teams. The Hurricanes had been running a three-goalie rotation of Kochetkov, Frederik Andersen and rookie Brandon Bussi. This means they’ll rely on Andersen and Bussi more moving forward, but they’re a capable tandem.
Andersen, 36, isn’t off to the best start this season. His .869 save percentage and -2.08 goals saved above expected are his lowest marks in five years, but with more than 500 NHL games under his belt, he’s a proven commodity.
Bussi, on the other hand, is off to an incredible start to his career. The 27-year-old undrafted rookie became the fastest goalie in NHL history to win 10 starts earlier this month, and has won 12 of his 14 starts.
The Hurricanes claimed Bussi off waivers from the Boston Bruins on Oct. 5. The Sound Beach, N.Y. native put together three impressive seasons in the American Hockey League and is now proving he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level. Bussi ranks 13th in the NHL in save percentage (.912) and 16th in goals saved above expected (13.4). If he maintains this level of play, he could be in line for a true starter’s workload moving forward now that Kochetkov is out.