Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely after medical tests discovered a blood clotting issue.

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

“Carolina put Andersen on injured reserve and recalled 24-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov from Syracuse of the American Hockey League,” the Associated Press reports.

From AP:

Veteran Jaroslav Halak also joined the team on a free agent tryout. Antti Raanta is expected to shoulder the load in net in Andersen’s absence.

Andersen last played on Thursday and was 4-1-0 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in six starts this season. The Denmark native has played 547 NHL regular-season and playoff games for the Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Hurricanes since making his debut in 2013.

Via Yahoo Sports:

Losing Andersen is a tough blow for a Hurricanes team that was beginning to find its form, winning four of its past five games.

Carolina has been one of the NHL’s best offensive teams in 2023-24, posting 41 goals in 12 contests. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, they have surrendered 42 goals on the year as they sit third in the Metropolitan Division.

Andersen, 34, spent the 2021-22 NHL season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In September 2021, the Carolina Hurricanes announced on Twitter the team reached a “100% COVID-19 vaccination rate.”

Andersen entered COVID-19 protocol in December 2021.

According to Bleacher Report, only four NHL players were unvaccinated before the 2021-22 regular season began.

Per Bleacher Report:

Only four NHL players remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, per commissioner Gary Bettman.

“Everybody banding together to do the right thing,” Bettman said Tuesday from the league’s season opener between the Pittsburgh Penguins and host Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Maybe that’s why hockey is the ultimate team sport.”

Per ESPN News Services, Bettman also revealed that all NHL officials and personnel who contact players are vaccinated.

The NHL has instituted significant restrictions and drawbacks for players who remain unvaccinated, as Chris Bumbaca of USA Today reported Tuesday:

“A team has the right to suspend and dock the pay of an unvaccinated player if he’s unable to play because of a local, state or federal government’s rules. Unvaccinated players have to quarantine while on the road and face greater mask-wearing and social-distancing requirements. They must get tested every day, compared with every three days for vaccinated players.”

The NHL now has 32 teams with the debut of the Seattle Kraken. Each team carries a 23-man-roster, meaning that 732 of the league’s 736 players are vaccinated (99.45 percent).

 

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