Tokarski Brings Experience, Veteran Presence To Canes

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes are just 27 games through the 2024-25 season, but they've already dressed five different goaltenders.

How did we get here?

Frederik Andersen, who went down with a knee injury at the end of October, opened the door for Spencer Martin to ride shotgun to Pyotr Kochetkov. However, an injury to Kochetkov the following month forced last year's waiver claim to quickly get to nine games played. That's important to note because one more game played would have meant that Martin would have required waivers in order to be reassigned to Chicago again. Getting someone with NHL experience through waivers is never a guarantee and is largely contingent on the health of all other 31 teams' creases on any given day (see: Martin's claim that brought him to Carolina last January).

The organization has shown that they're willing to call up Yaniv Perets when necessary, but they'd prefer to let both him and 20-year-old Ruslan Khazheyev - the only goaltender under contract at the moment who hasn't been called up to Carolina this season - continue developing in Chicago.

In order to make the calculated decision with Martin, preserve the prospective future, and bide time until Andersen returns, the Canes were in need of another healthy body behind Kochetkov for the time being. Enter Dustin Tokarski.

Tokarski, 35 years old and a veteran of 508 pro games, isn't phased by being a late-coming addition to the situation.

After attending training camp with the Ottawa Senators and having nothing materialize, "Ticker" returned home, but he didn't give up on the idea of playing this season. Staying ready, the phone rang in early November with a tryout offer from the Chicago Wolves - a trickle-down as a result of Andersen's injury.

"I've played for a while, so [I know] things happen and you've just got to be ready for an opportunity," Tokarski shared earlier this week. "I was happy that one came and I think I made the most of it. I'm just grateful to be here and have the opportunity."

Starting his tenure in Chicago with back-to-back shutouts, the possibility of the two-time Calder Cup Champion (2012 - Norfolk, 2019 - Charlotte) coming up to the big club became more of a reality. Continuing to rack up wins following, Tokarski improved to 4-1 with a .933 save percentage before his contract with Carolina. His 1.91 goals against average ranks second in the AHL (min. 5 games played) as well.

"The guys in Chicago are doing a great job, I was able to hop into a good situation. They played great in front of me. I was happy to be able to help the guys get a few wins and get rolling," Tokarski continued. "I had a lot of fun there and the guys played well in front of me."

Part of what brought Tokarski onto Carolina's radar in the first place was his pre-existing relationship with Canes Goaltending Coach Paul Schonfelder, whom he worked with when the two were a part of Charlotte's Calder Cup team in 2019.

When the Checkers acquired Tokarski at the 2019 trade deadline, he went 12-0 (regular season + postseason) en route to their championship.

"He's a good, veteran guy that's been around. He's played a lot of good hockey over the course of his career," Schonfelder added as a review. "He's won a Memorial Cup, a World Junior Championship, a gold medal with Team Canada, and two Calder Cups. He's been in some high-pressure situations and has succeeded."

While the Canes are seemingly comfortable with utilizing Tokarski in an NHL game situation - something he's not been a part of since February 2023 - for now, he's expected to be a calming presence behind Kochetkov, and he's just fine with that.

"Hopefully I can stop some pucks if needed," he laughed. "I've been around for a while, so [hopefully I bring] another presence and experience. Obviously, the talent and the group here speak for itself. I'll just be ready if called upon, be a good teammate, and enjoy it."