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Kochetkov's Hot Start With Hurricanes Is Another Win For GM Eric Tulsky
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- Kochetkov's Hot Start With Hurricanes Is Another Win For GM Eric Tulsky
When you've played as much Stanley Cup playoff hockey as the Carolina Hurricanes have over the past four seasons, you could be forgiven for having a competitive hangover.
However, after losing just three playoff games en route to winning the second championship in franchise history, the exact opposite has happened.
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The Hurricanes have the best record in the league at 12-2-0, with 11 of their wins coming in regulation. They have the NHL's second-best defense at an average of 2.19 goals-against per game, and they have the league's third-best offense at 3.94 goals-for per game.
Among all the members of this team who have made this run so impressive, goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov — who didn't play a single game in the Hurricanes' 2025-26 championship run — has stood out the most.
The 27-year-old missed the majority of the regular season with a lower-body injury that resulted in hip surgery. With the emergence of Brandon Bussi, Kochetkov had slipped to the No. 3 spot in the Hurricanes goalie depth chart. He served as a backup to Bussi in the Cup final, but saw no minutes in the post-season.
This season, Kotchetkov has played like the rest of the league owes him money. He's put together the best start in franchise history , going undefeated in his first 10 games. He's done it while posting the fourth-best save percentage in the NHL at .929 (minimum four games played), and the league's second-best goals-against average at 1.49.
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Any way you look at it, Kochetkov should be an early-season frontrunner to win the Vezina Trophy.
Health has been a concern for Kotchetkov, who has played 25 games or more just two times in his four NHL seasons. But otherwise, he's been fantastic, and he hasn't given up more than three goals in a single game this year.
Undefeated Pyotr Kochetkov Establishing Himself As One Of The League's Top Netminders
Kochetkov certainly deserves a ton of credit for how he's stepped up while taking on a huge responsibility, but Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky also deserves his flowers.
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After the remarkable playoff run that Frederik Andersen had — .910 SP and 1.89 GAA in 16 games before being going down with a lower-body injury — it couldn't have been an easy decision to part ways in free agency this summer.
The 37-year-old had struggled with injuries in the past, and has still yet to make his debut with the Edmonton Oilers this season, but he showed up when the lights were the brightest and proved his worth.
The opposite could really be said for Kochetkov before this season. The Russian netminder still hasn't posted a save percentage above .900 in the post-season in 10 appearances.
He'll still have to prove himself in that regard, but it's hard to argue this start, and Tulsky's decision to extend him on a team-friendly deal , has been anything less than remarkable.
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