With Hurricanes goalie to miss time, Carolina signs NHL veteran to free agent tryout

The Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltending depth was already a question mark after a run of mediocre play on a season-opening West Coast road trip. It’s getting an even bigger test this week.

Frederik Andersen, one of the team’s top two goalies, will miss an indefinite amount of time while dealing with a blood clotting issue, the team announced Monday.

“During recent medical testing, it was discovered that Frederik Andersen had a blood clotting issue that needed to be addressed,” Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “There is currently no timetable for his return, but we are confident that Freddie will be able to make a full recovery.”

Andersen has started six games this season for the Canes, going 4-1-0 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. He missed time earlier this season after getting drilled in the face with a puck on a shot from the blue line. His mask bore the brunt of the shot, but he left that game against the San Jose Sharks and missed the next handful of games.

Andersen returned nine days later, earning a win at home against the Seattle Kraken. Andersen also started in a road win over Philadelphia on Oct. 30, and in a road loss to the New York Rangers on Nov. 2.

Antti Raanta started the Canes’ most recent game, a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the New York Islanders on Saturday.

In a corresponding move, the Hurricanes also announced Monday they are bringing in free-agent goaltender Jaroslav Halak on a tryout. Halak was at practice and on the ice with the team at Invisalign Arena in Morrisville on Monday.

The well-traveled NHL veteran said he was told Saturday he’d be coming to Raleigh.

“You never want to see anyone injured,” Halak said. “At the same time, I was excited I got the call, and I’m here. We’ll see what happens.”

Halak most recently played last season with the Rangers, posting a 10-9-5 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and .903 save percentage as the primary backup behind Igor Shesterkin. He did not play in last year’s playoffs.

This offseason, Halak, 38, said he wanted to keep playing in the NHL, but did not sign as a free agent with any team.

“I’ve been skating, I’ve been practicing, I’ve been trying to stay in shape,” Halak said. “But team practices are different than goalie practices. Timing and all that, that’s the only thing that’s missing now. But that will come back.”

Halak is a well-traveled goalie, having played in 581 NHL games since the 2006-07 season. The Slovakian got his start in the Montreal Canadiens organization. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2010, made a brief stop with the Washington Capitals before four years with the New York Islanders and three with the Boston Bruins. Halak played in 17 games with Vancouver in 2021-22, and in 25 last season with the Rangers.

He’s faced the Canes plenty, he said. And he knows what the team is all about.

“I know they’re always hard to play against,” Halak said. “They play hard, they forecheck hard and it’s always a tough game. I know this group works hard.”

Halak has a career 2.50 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in the NHL with 53 shutouts. His most recent playoff action came in 2020 with the Bruins, closing out their series against the Hurricanes after Tuukka Rask opted out of the Toronto bubble. He played seven playoff games with the Islanders in 2015, two with the Blues in 2012, and had a magical 18-game run with the Canadiens in 2010.

Halak is five wains away from 300 in his NHL career.

“That’s something, why I want to still play,” Halak admitted. “I’m still motivated to get to 300, it’s kind of one of my goals. Step by step, day by day, and we’ll see what happens out there.”

This season, the Hurricanes have been among the top offensive teams in the National Hockey League, posting 41 goals in 12 games. But the team has allowed 42. Andersen is the team leader in save percentage at .894, with a goals-against average of 2.87. Antti Raanta has started four games, posting a 3.03 GAA and an .870 save percentage, and Pyotr Kochetkov, who had a great run in relief of both Raanta and Andersen last season and signed a new contract extension thereafter, has started two games, allowing 4.33 goals against in parts of three games played.

The Hurricanes’ next game is Tuesday, at home, against Buffalo.