RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes had a familiar face join them at the end of their morning skate on Saturday, as goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov jumped on the ice.
His first time facing shots from all of his teammates in over three months, the 26-year-old backstop was declared "probably out for the year" on Dec. 29, when Rod Brind'Amour shared that Kochetkov was set to undergo surgery to repair a lower-body injury. But with the Canes having secured their spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the potential of playing for two more months, the timing aligned for Kochetkov to continue on the road to recovery.
Although there's no timeline for when (or if) he'd become available again, today's focus was kept on the positive.
"It's a step in the right direction for him, for sure, coming off that injury," Brind'Amour said following the skate.
Kochetkov sang a similar tune, saying that he's not sure how far away he is from potentially playing, and that it'll take a few practices to get a better understanding.
"It's fun to see the guys on the ice, it's very special for me now," he said with a beaming smile. "For a long time, I skated alone and with Goalie Coach (Paul Schonfelder). It's [been] tough mentally, but I'm happy I'm a little bit closer for the guys."
Continuing to call his time away both mentally and physically tough, Kochetkov needed to address both a longstanding issue and one that flared up during training camp.
Missing the first month of the season, he ramped things back up for a Nov. 4 season debut in New York, in which he posted a 26-save shutout. Pushing through the pain for eight starts, it became too much and led him to understand that continuing on in that way was too dangerous for his future and his career.
"I felt it when I skated, when I was off the ice, when I would sleep. I tried my best to play. I tried to come back every time, but after every game, it just felt it more and more and more," Kochetkov described.
Saying he feels "much better" now, the next logical step in the rehab process would be for Kochetkov to take part in a full morning skate or a full-length practice. While the Canes have a few morning skates left on the schedule, practice days are hard to come by this time of year, given the amount of games left in the next two weeks before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In Kochetkov's absence, Brandon Bussi has made NHL history on a few occasions, including becoming the fastest goaltender ever to reach 10, 15, 20, and 25 wins. Now 28-6-1, he's worked in tandem with a healthy Frederik Andersen, and should Kochetkov become an option, the Canes may get their three-headed monster between the pipes back.
