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The Carolina Hurricanes will be without another goalie for the foreseeable future as the team announced that Pyotr Kochetkov is in concussion protocol, meaning he is out indefinitely. In a subsequent move, the team announced the recall of Yaniv Perets from ECHL Norfolk.
Kochetkov suffered the concussion in Thursday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, leaving in the second period. The timing of it certainly isn’t ideal as the 24-year-old was in the midst of a nice run, posting a .924 SV% in his last ten games, giving Carolina some much-needed stability between the pipes. He joins Frederik Andersen (blood clots) as Hurricanes netminders who are out of the lineup.
This means that veteran Antti Raanta will take over the No. 1 role for the time being. It has been a rough year for the 34-year-old as his early struggles eventually resulted in him passing through waivers unclaimed last month before being recalled after two AHL games. Raanta has a 3.27 GAA with a save percentage of just .862 in 17 games this season.
He’ll be joined by Perets, the only recallable option the Hurricanes have. The 23-year-old is in his first professional season after a stellar college career with Quinnipiac where he had a 1.34 GAA and a .935 SV% over three seasons with them. This season, he has played exclusively in the ECHL (since Carolina doesn’t have a direct AHL affiliate), posting a 2.62 GAA with a .906 SV% in 15 games.
The Hurricanes have been speculatively linked to a handful of goaltenders in recent weeks but with Kochetkov playing well lately, that speculation had started to cool off. However, if the young netminder is set to miss extended time, GM Don Waddell may have no choice but to seriously explore what options might be out there.
More must-reads:
- Three surprising playoff contenders have emerged at NHL's halfway point
- How aggressive will the New Jersey Devils be at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline?
- The '2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes' quiz
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Maple Leafs Urged to Sign 'Elite Quarterback' Free Agent
The Toronto Maple Leafs may not be finished reshaping their roster after another postseason run was cut short last year with a second-round exit at the hands of back-to-back champions, the Florida Panthers. One name being pushed into the conversation is that of veteran defenseman and current unrestricted free agent Matt Grzelcyk, most recently of the Pittsburgh Penguins. With general manager Brad Treliving still exploring ways to fine-tune the lineup before the start of training camp next month and the Leafs having some financial flexibility, they could explore adding the blueliner. Matt Grzelcyk Could Help Toronto's Power Play In a recent story suggesting three potential targets Toronto should at least explore signing to a professional tryout (PTO) deal, Editor in Leaf's Edward Eng suggested the Maple Leafs pursue Craig Smith, Andreas Athanasiou, and most interestingly, Grzelcyk. In signing the former Penguins' defenseman, Eng believes Toronto could boost the defense's offensive prowess. "The Maple Leafs, for the most part, struggled with production from their blue liners last season, other than Morgan Rielly," Eng wrote. "Therefore, adding a potential puck-moving defenseman to enhance the Leafs’ offensive potential from the back end could do wonders for the club going forward." Following that reasoning, Eng arrived at Grzelcyk as a perfect fit to solve Toronto's power-play woes and to quarterback the unit. “Giving free agent defenseman Matt Grzelcyk a PTO should be a no-brainer," Eng wrote. "Grzelcyk could potentially be an elite quarterback on the power play for the Leafs." As Eng noted, 15 of Grzelcyk's career-high 40 points last season came with the man advantage, but that's not been enough to allow him to secure a contract nearly a month and a half into free agency. Maple Leafs' PTO Track Record and Work-In-Progress Roster Toronto has had some reasonable success using PTOs in the recent past, landing the likes of Noah Gregor, Zachary Aston-Reese, and, most recently, Max Pacioretty last summer. Eng believes the Leafs could secure a low-risk, high-reward addition in Grzelcyk, taking advantage of the rest of the NHL missing out on offering the veteran a deal. “It is time for Toronto to jump in and take advantage of the stagnant market,” Eng wrote, adding that Grzelcyk’s presence could also push Rielly and bring an offensive improvement to the defense corps.
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
Browns may not be prepared for one thing with Shedeur Sanders
During a recent edition of the "Orange and Brown Talk Podcast," Cleveland Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski may not be prepared for the "potential fan backlash" that could arise regarding the team's handling of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Stefanski seemed to say plenty about the subject when it was learned on Monday that Sanders remains fourth on the club's unofficial depth chart even though he enjoyed a solid NFL debut in the club's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Also on Monday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer made it known that Stefanski won't be in a rush to play Sanders or fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel ahead of schedule. "Stefanski and the other offensive coaches have a plan for the rookie QBs, and they’re not about to be swayed by public opinion and the Sanders-mania that’s sweeping the nation," Cabot wrote. "Yes, it was a great debut against the Panthers with two beautiful touchdown passes to first-year receiver Kaden Davis. But Stefanski always keeps things simple for his rookie quarterbacks in preseason games, and most have looked excellent in their outings under him. Therefore, he wasn’t ready Monday to start handing over those precious starting reps to Sanders when he’s unlikely to start Week 1 and doesn’t necessarily need that valuable time with the ones — yet." Neither Gabriel nor presumed backup Kenny Pickett played against the Panthers after they were slowed by hamstring injuries during training camp. Meanwhile, Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland's 30-10 victory over Carolina. Gabriel returned to the practice field on Monday, but Pickett reportedly could be sidelined "for a couple more weeks." It's unclear if either signal-caller will play in Cleveland's preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles this coming Saturday. "They have had a process with Shedeur all the way through," Cabot added during the latest episode of the podcast. "And even when they were taking heat nationally from all kinds of pundits and experts saying that they were setting Shedeur up to fail, they stuck to their guns. And even after his really, really nice debut, they really haven’t changed the process." As recently as Tuesday morning, Zac Jackson of The Athletic mentioned that veteran Joe Flacco is still "the clear leader" to be Cleveland's Week 1 starter over Sanders, Gabriel and Pickett. As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as a -310 betting favorite to get the nod for the Browns' regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Previous whispers indicated Stefanski will want to name his Week 1 QB1 before Cleveland wraps the preseason up with a home game against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. It certainly sounds like Stefanski won't lose any sleep over disappointing members of a passionate fan base who want to see what Sanders can do against live defenses in meaningful contests.
Jets QB Justin Fields had 'alarming' practice against Giants
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields found out he has a long way to go following his performance at Tuesday's joint practice with the New York Giants. Per Connor Hughes of SNY TV, Fields started hot at the practice before struggling during the move-the-ball period. "Very interesting practice for #Jets QB Justin Fields," Hughes posted on X. "He finished 7 of 12 with a TD. 5 of 5 to start practice. Then 0 for 4. Finished 2 of 3 with the really impressive TD to Jeremy Ruckert in red zone (starter 18 yard line). "The offensive performance was a bit alarming in move-the-ball period of practice. Fields Co. had three attempts to get down field. They didn’t gain a first down. Only gained yards twice (two short Breece Hall runs). Three sacks. That needs to be fixed. #Giants defense toyed with NYJ during that period." Some Jets fans online thought Hughes was using hyperbole to characterize the practice, but he doubled down on his judgment of the offense. Fields looked strong on his first and only drive in the Jets' 30-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. He went 3-of-4 passing for 42 yards and rushed two times for 14 yards and a touchdown. However, the Giants defense at the joint practice is a much better unit than the short-handed one the Packers trotted out for the first preseason game. Fields' issues seen with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, with holding the ball too long and not being able to pass consistently downfield, were a factor against the Giants. Following Saturday's game, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Fields was getting better but had a lot to improve on. Tuesday's practice was a humbling reminder that Fields needs to become a consistent passer if the Jets are going to move the ball on good defenses in the regular season.
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