An Argument Against a Carolina Hurricanes Goaltender Change

Should the Carolina Hurricanes seek new goalies?

With the Carolina Hurricanes rumored to be looking at making changes to their goaltending position yet again, here is why they are better off standing pat.

With a deep crop of goaltenders available this offseason both via unrestricted free agency and the trade route it comes as no surprise to see the Carolina Hurricanes’ name thrown around as a team who could potentially be looking to make a change in net.

When you think back to the past couple of seasons goaltending has been one of the biggest concerns so naturally, this comes as no surprise. However, once you look a bit deeper at the numbers and rumored cost around the league the better decision may actually be to stand pat.

Before we look at the names that could be on the move, let us first look at what both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer have done in a Hurricanes uniform.

Starting with Reimer, he came to Raleigh via trade from the Florida Panthers. In his first season with the Hurricanes, he appeared in 25 regular-season games going 14-6-2 with a .914 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average.

In the playoffs, he played in three games going 2-1-0 with a .934 save percentage and a 2.33 GAA. His only loss was a result of a total team collapse in the third period of game four versus the Boston Bruins.

Mrazek, on the other hand, has appeared in 80 regular-season games for the Carolina Hurricanes over the past two seasons. Going 44-30-5 in those games he has a .909 save percentage and 2.54 GAA in a Canes uniform.

In the postseason, he has appeared in 16 games going 7-8-0 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.56 GAA, not much different from his regular-season numbers. Looking at just this year’s playoffs, he was 2-3 with a .929 save percentage and a GAA of 2.2. In two of his three losses, the Hurricanes only managed to score a single goal and the other was in double OT so you can’t really pin any of them on Petr.

Both Petr and James have another year left on their current contracts, and when you consider Alex Nedeljkovic is also on a one-way deal starting next season, the Hurricanes would have to move out not one but two of their current goalies if they want to bring in someone new. With a deep pool of netminders to choose from, it’ll be rather difficult to get anything of real value for this year’s tandem if they do decide to go that route.