Pyotr Kochetkov 'Probably' Done For Season 

Today, Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters that goalie Pyotr Kochetkov will miss the rest of the season. Kochetkov is undergoing surgery on a lower-body injury he’s been dealing with all season. Bring’Amour went on to say “He didn’t feel right all year. He’s been playing great; that’s the hard part. He was kind of fighting through it, but doesn’t want to continue that way, so we’ll get it fixed and go from there.” Kochetkov has been in and out of the lineup this season. He’s made nine appearances going 6-2-0 with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage, and a shutout. His last start came on December 20th against the Tampa Bay Lightning in which he stopped 23 of the 28 shots he faced in Carolina’s 6-4 loss.

The Hurricanes have a standout rookie Brandon Bussi who is 12-1-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and a shutout. Kochetkov was supposed to start tonight but that shifted to tonight’s game being Brandon Bussi’s net. They also have Frederik Andersen who is 5-8-2 with a 3.27 goals-against average, and an .869 save percentage. One other name they have, if either of the other goalies sustains an injury, is Cayden Primeau, whom they claimed off waivers from the Maple Leafs. Primeau is playing in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves in 11 games is 3-3-5 with a 2.49 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage, and a shutout. Another option Carolina may look to go down is via trade. It’ll be interesting to see how the top team in the Eastern Conference navigates this but it seems Brandon Bussi is the number one goalie.

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Pyotr Kochetkov 

The Hurricanes drafted Kochetkov 36th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He made his debut on April 23rd against the New Jersey Devils he picked up the win in that game in overtime stopping 17 of the 19 shots he faced. Kochetkov recorded his first career shutout on November 14, 2022, against the Chicago Blackhawks. He stopped all 27 shots he faced in that game. In that 2021-22 season, he appeared in three games going 3-0-0. Kochetkov posted a 2.42 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage. Kochetkov, in his second season, he made 24 appearances going 12-7-5. He had a .909 save percentage, a 2.44 goals-against average, and four shutouts. In 2023-24 he made 42 appearances going 23-13-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and four shutouts.

Last season, in 47 games he went 27-16-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage, and two shutouts. In his career in 125 games, he’s 71-38-12 with a .904 save percentage, a 2.46 goals-against average, and 11 shutouts. He finished fourth in Calder Memorial Trophy voting in 2023-24. In ten playoff games, he is 2-5-0 with a 3.83 goals-against average, and an .860 save percentage. 

Wrap Up

The Hurricanes face the New York Rangers tonight before facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road on Wednesday to wrap up 2025. They will face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday to begin 2026. That game will be played at home.