Hurricanes still searching for a goalie on trade market after missing out on Blackwood
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The Carolina Hurricanes continue to lean heavily on goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, but the team is looking to acquire help for him on the trade market.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the Hurricanes did talk to the San Jose Sharks about Mackenzie Blackwood before he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche last week and continue to survey the market.
Kochetkov has a 12-4-0 record this season with a .894 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average. With Frederik Andersen sidelined into the new year with a lower-body injury, the Hurricanes tried Spencer Martin as their backup, but have since sent him down to the AHL and signed Dustin Tokarski to an NHL deal to back up Kochetkov. Martin went 3-4-1 with a .846 save percentage and a 3.89 GAA. Tokarski, a 35-year-old veteran of 80 career games, is yet to play since signing his new contract on Dec. 2.
"The Hurricanes were having discussions with the San Jose Sharks on Mackenzie Blackwood, and obviously, they were not ready to pay the same price," LeBrun explained Thursday on Insider Trading. "Notably, [Nikolai] Kovalenko, the young player that Colorado gave to San Jose. The Hurricanes weren't paying that price.
"From Carolina’s perspective, they need assurance, insurance behind [Pyotr] Kochetkov. They have their number one already, but they’re a little concerned with what happens if he goes down, especially at playoff time. That’s why they continue to make calls around the league.
"There are other options. There’s Dan Vladar in Calgary, Anton Forsberg in Ottawa, Karel Vejmelka in Utah. The problem is none of those teams are ready to be sellers. They’re trying to make the playoffs.
"None of those goalies, so far, have really been on the market, so Carolina is trying to be patient, but they’re ready to trade for one now.
"And of course, the bigger name, John Gibson. We’ve talked about him before, and yes, the Hurricanes have talked to Anaheim about him, but the price is going to have to come down to trade for a goalie that has a couple more years left on his deal."
Vladar is coming off a tough outing Thursday in which he allowed eight goals on 26 shots in the Flames loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Carrying a cap hit of $2.2 million, the 27-year-old netminder has a 6-6-4 record this season with a .885 save percentage and a 3.08 GAA.
Forsberg has a 4-6-0 record this season, while seeing limited playing time for the Senators of late behind starter Linus Ullmark. The 32-year-old, signed a cap hit of $2.75 million, has a .889 save percentage and a 2.95 GAA.
Vejmelka has a 5-7-2 record this season despite a sparkling .917 save percentage and a 2.36 goals-against average. The 28-year-old carries a cap hit of $2.725 million.
Vladar, Forsberg and Vejmelka are all pending unrestricted free agents.
LeBrun first floated the idea of Gibson and the Hurricanes being a match last month, noting the Anaheim Ducks would be willing to retain salary on the 31-year-old netminder, who remains signed through next season at a cap hit of $6.4 million.
Gibson has a 4-4-1 record this season with a .906 save percentage and a 2.90 GAA.
The Hurricanes sit third in the Metropolitan Division this season with an 18-9-1 record, five points back of the Washington Capitals for first place.
Andersen, signed through this season at a cap hit of $3.4 million, was given an eight-week timeline for recovery from knee surgery on Nov. 21 and was limited to just 16 games last season due to blood clots.