Hurricanes Sign Pyotr Kochetkov To Two-Year Extension

The Carolina Hurricanes announced that goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has signed a two-year, $3.95MM AAV contract extension. According to the team, Kochetkov will be paid a $2.4MM salary and $1.5MM signing bonus for 2027-28, and a $3MM salary with a $1MM signing bonus for 2028-29.

Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky commented on the signing as part of the team’s announcement, saying:

Pyotr is an incredibly talented goalie whose aggressive style fits our team very well. We believe in his ability to win games for this organization and are thrilled he wants to continue helping us pursue championships in Carolina.

The signing locks up a second Hurricanes goaltender through the 2028-29 season. Brandon Bussi, who signed a three-year extension with the club last season, is under contract through 2028-29 at a $1.9MM cap hit. While the team could still make external additions, this signing gives Carolina two NHL-caliber goaltenders for the next three seasons at a combined sum of under $6MM against the cap.

If Carolina can get quality performances out of its tandem of relatively affordably-priced goalies, that could be a significant boost for the team in an area of exploding player salaries. For the next three years, the relatively limited amount the Hurricanes have devoted to their goalie tandem could provide them with a substantial amount of financial flexibility that could be leveraged to add even more talent.

Kochetkov has proved to be reliable depth on his last contract – a four-year, $8MM extesnion signed in November 2022. That contract went into effect in the 2023-24 season, which was a career-year for the young netminder. Kochetkov, at the age of 24, recorded a 23-13-4 record and .911 save percentage in 42 games of the 2023-24 campaign. The performance put him on the map as an up-and-coming starter – and held down the fort while Carolina braced injuries to Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta.

Kochetkov returned to a sizeable workload in 2024-25. He set a 27-16-3 record – but fell to a .897 save percentage – in 47 appearances, while ceding a bit more time to Andersen. Their split seemed set to continue into the 2025-26 campaign, until Kochetkov sustained a lower-body injury during training camp. That injury would limit him to just nine NHL games, and three AHL games, in Carolina’s Stanley Cup-winning campaign.

A lost season will derail Kochetkov’s rise into Carolina’s starting role – but a new contract, and slight payraise, will cement his value in the NHL lineup. While an ascending goaltender after a strong rookie year, Bussi is unlikely to take on the load of a workhorse starter in year-two. That could leave room for Kochetkov to return to a sizeable role next season. The Hurricanes will hope a return to full health will help the 27 year old return to the strong performance he displayed in 2023-24. If he does, the Hurricanes could quickly assemble one of the league’s more impactful, and versatile, goalie rooms.