Hurricanes goalie needs surgery. How long will Frederik Andersen be out of the lineup?
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour recently said injured goalie Frederik Andersen would be out “way longer” than first expected.
Turns out, Andersen will undergo knee surgery and his recovery is expected to take eight to 12 weeks, the team announced Thursday. General manager Eric Tulsky said Andersen would have the surgery Friday.
It’s another major setback for the veteran goalie, who has played 499 NHL games. Andersen, 35, missed much of last season with a blood-clotting issue and has been sidelined with various knee injuries during his career.
Andersen had a good start to this season, posting a 3-1-0 record with a 1.48 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in four games. He last played Oct. 26 in the road game at Seattle, playing 60 minutes and stopping 18 of 19 shots in the 4-1 victory.
Brind’Amour said soon after the game that Andersen was a “little gimpy” and his status was “day to day.” That soon was amended to “week to week” and the coach later said Andersen likely would be out “way longer.”
With Andersen sidelined, goalie Pyotr Kochetkov has played nine of the past 11 games for the Canes (14-4-0). Backup Spencer Martin, claimed on waivers from Columbus last season, has started two games and relieved Kochetkov in a third.
Kochetkov has a 10-2-0 record,, with. a 2.30 GAA and .907 save percentage, and was the winner Wednesday as the Canes topped the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1.
Andersen appeared in 16 games in 2023-24, with a 13-2-0 record with a 1.84 GAA and .932 save percentage.
