Hurricanes send Kochetkov to AHL
Pyotr Kochetkov is the odd man out among the three Carolina Hurricanes goaltenders.
The Hurricanes demoted the rookie to the AHL's Chicago Wolves on Monday, the NHL club announced.
Kochetkov grabbed Carolina's No. 1 job after initially splitting time with Antti Raanta following Frederik Andersen's injury. Andersen missed 29 games but has won both of his starts since returning Thursday. Kochetkov stopped 29 of 32 shots in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
Kochetkov, 23, is waiver-exempt; the Hurricanes would need to place Andersen and Raanta on the wire and risk losing them to another team before sending them to the AHL.
Kochetkov made a decent impression in his stint as an NHL starter. The Russian is 10-4-5 with a .913 save percentage and three shutouts over 19 games in 2022-23. He played three regular-season contests last season before stepping in for four playoff games when injuries sidelined both Andersen and Raanta.
Andersen has been inconsistent in 2022-23. The 33-year-old Dane is 7-3-0 in 10 contests, but he's authored a .903 save percentage. He's saved 2.57 goals above expected at five-on-five in 2022-23, good for 31st in the NHL, according to Evolving Hockey. He also ranks 25th with 1.88 goals saved above average.
Kochetkov, meanwhile, has only 0.79 GSAA at five-on-five, but his 3.73 GSAx ranks 23rd.
Andersen and Raanta are pending unrestricted free agents. Andersen's contract carries a $4.5-million cap hit, while the 33-year-old Raanta is on the books for $2 million, according to CapFriendly.