Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was a full participant in Thursday’s practice with the team for the first time since being diagnosed with a blood clotting issue in November.
Andersen, 34, put together a 4-1-0 record to go with an .894 save percentage in six games with the Hurricanes before being sidelined. He’s under contract through the end of the 2024-25 season at a $3.4 million cap hit.
In Andersen’s absence, the Hurricanes have rotated between Antti Raanta, Pyotr Kochetkov, Spencer Martin, and Yaniv Perets in goal, with mixed results. The Hurricanes currently rank second in the Metropolitan Division with a 30-17-5 record and 65 points in 52 games.
Andersen made his last appearance for the Hurricanes on November 2, stopping 24 of the 26 shots he faced in a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The Hurricanes are slated to return to action on Friday to take on the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena.
The Hurricanes originally signed Andersen in 2021 to a two-year contract worth $4.5 million per season. After two successful years in North Carolina, Andersen re-upped with the Hurricanes to another two-year deal.
Andersen has played with three different teams in the National Hockey League. He started out with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2013-14 season after being selected by the team in the third round (No. 87 overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
The Ducks drafted Andersen as a 22-year-old goaltender out of the Swedish Hockey League, where he posted a sparkling .943 save percentage and a 24-14-0 record in 39 games with Frölunda HC in the 2011-12 season. And after one excellent year with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, Andersen made the NHL for good.
Andersen spent three seasons with the Ducks, wresting control of the starting job from Jonas Hiller, before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016 to make room for John Gibson. In Toronto, Andersen emerged as a full-fledged starter, appearing in at least 60 games in each of his first three seasons with the team.
Through 485 career NHL games with the Ducks, Maple Leafs, and Hurricanes, Andersen has put together a 286-126-52 record to go along with 24 shutouts and a .915 save percentage. He’s also gone 32-26 in 62 career playoff contests.
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