Hurricanes assign Pyotr Kochetkov to AHL for conditioning stint

Some surprising news for one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this close to the postseason.

On Friday, Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky announced that the team has assigned goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, on a conditioning stint.

There was a belief that Kochetkov wouldn’t be seen for the rest of the 2025-26 season after undergoing surgery to repair a lower-body injury that had been nagging him since the preseason. The 26-year-old went under the knife in late December but has recovered to the point where he could be an option for the Hurricanes in the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In his absence, Carolina has been riding rookie Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen. Bussi was having a start of legendary proportions, but while the former Western Michigan Bronco has continued to rack up wins (sittied for fourth in the NHL with 30 thus far), his play has been up and down, with a save percentage that has dipped below .900. Andersen hasn’t been much better, going 15-14-5 with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .871 SV%.

In spite of the disappointing play between the pipes, Carolina has remained one of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division and the entire conference. The team has clinched its fourth division title in the past six seasons and is battling the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens for the top seed in the East.

In just nine games this year, Kochetkov has a record of 6-2-0, with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage and a shutout. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly he can get back into shape, and what shape he could be in, and whether the Russian will be able to give Carolina a boost in the playoffs, which begin on April 18.

With three games to go, the Hurricanes (51-22-6) are two points ahead of the Sabres for first in the East.