If you don’t have sufficiently good goaltending in the NHL, nothing else matters.
We’re seeing that truth play out once again this season, as numerous teams in hockey’s top league are currently suffering from a lack of quality netminding.
Two teams stand out in particular: the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche.
Both squads have more than two goalies playing for them this season, including Pyotr Kochetkov, Spencer Martin and Frederik Andersen in Carolina and Alexandar Georgiev, Justus Annunen, Kaapo Kahkonen and Trent Miner in Colorado.
Andersen is out until February as he recovers from knee surgery, and Kochetkov is in concussion protocol. That leaves Martin and Yaniv Perets to tend the goal for now, but concerns remain about whether the Hurricanes can have top-quality, healthy goaltenders in the big moments and the playoffs.
But who needs a different goalie more – the Avalanche or the Hurricanes?
From this writer’s perspective, the answer is the Avs, and their season could depend on it much more than Carolina’s.
In fact, Carolina is currently the NHL’s fifth-best team in goals-against average at 2.57. Meanwhile, Colorado is currently the league’s third-worst team in that category at 3.77 goals against per game. That’s about as stark a difference as it gets.
In all fairness, Colorado and Carolina have above-average defense corps. The Avalanche have superstar D-man Cale Makar, as well as elite blueliner Devon Toews, Samuel Girard, and Josh Manson. That’s a strong top four on the back end.
But the Hurricanes have more depth, including veterans Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker. And the Hurricanes’ overall defensive approach under coach Rod Brind’Amour provides them more confidence that they can ride out their current goaltending issues better than the Avalanche can.
Just take a look at Martin for the Hurricanes. His 3.40 goals-against average and .854 save percentage isn’t great, or even good. But he still has a 2-2-1 record this season, including a shutout win over the Ottawa Senators and a win over the Dallas Stars on Monday.
And at least the Hurricanes can look to the eventual return of high-performing goalies Andersen and Kochetkov at some point this year.
The Avs, on the other hand, are putting their best goalies out there, and it’s obviously not working enough.
Georgiev has an .871 save percentage, a 3.49 goals-against average and a minus-7.9 goals saved above expected, per moneypuck.com. Justus Annunen is not much better, with a .872 SP, 3.23 GAA and minus-4.8 GSAE. They both had a night to forget on Monday in an 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning – Georgiev had three goals against on 17 shots and one smashed stick, while Annunen allowed five goals on 16 shots. And while the team didn’t play all that well in front of them, they weren’t bailing anybody out.
Kahkonen is back on the Winnipeg Jets, and Miner only played in relief on Nov. 15, stopping 12 of 13 shots.
The Hurricanes have only about $1.5 million in salary cap space, so trading for a goalie isn’t likely for them.
Colorado, on the other hand, has $4.6 million in current cap space – not enough to bring in a star netminder via trade.
But that is enough to bring in an experienced goalie – James Reimer, perhaps, or maybe Ville Husso, if the Red Wings retain some salary – the Avalanche hope can steer them through their present rough patch. But to be sure, the status quo can’t be an option for the Avalanche.
The Hurricanes are second in the Metropolitan Division right now, with three games in hand on the first-place New Jersey Devils. That gives them plenty of cushion to lean on as they navigate through the grind of the regular season. Colorado – currently in fourth place in the Central Division, with the fifth-place St. Louis Blues and Utah Hockey Club on their heels – does not have that cushion.
This is why the Avs desperately need a new look between the pipes and why the Hurricanes aren’t nearly that desperate. Avalanche management needs to be shaking the trees to pick up any netminder with a decent amount of experience.
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