I can admit that I am, almost to a fault, a goalie sympathizer. I truly believe that goalies around the league are given way too much hate for things that are far beyond their control during a game. Never has that been clearer than in my evaluation of Frederik Andersen throughout his time as a Carolina Hurricane. Frankly, I think we were too hard on him, though I think it came from a competitive place.
Shortly before 8 pm on Wednesday, Kevin Weekes broke the news that Andersen was heading to Edmonton on a one-year deal, ending his five seasons in Raleigh. He chose a pretty good way to go out. It's a $1.1 million deal that can net him up to $2.8 million if he achieves certain milestones throughout the season. It's a pretty good deal for a netminder nearly at the end of the line.
Goalies have always seemed to bear the brunt of the blame whenever they aren't performing, and Andersen was no exception. It certainly was the case in Toronto, where he was seemingly under a microscope all the time. While the spotlight in Raleigh is different, the critics will always follow. His time with the Canes was far from perfect, but there's way more good to talk about.
Andersen was usually reliable during the regular season
We, as fans, don't properly appreciate what Frederik Andersen did during his first season with the Canes. Had it not been for a season-ending injury in March, and we'll talk about those, he is likely a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. Instead, he missed the end of the season and finished fourth in Vezina voting after going 35-14-3 with a .922 save percentage, a 2.17 GAA, and four shutouts.
Honestly, outside of this season, Andersen was very good during the regular season. In Hurricanes history, he's third in wins (98) and games played (159), fourth in GAA (2.45), and second in points (8). He's part of the only tandem in franchise history to win the Jennings Trophy, doing so with Antti Raanta in 2021-22. He was also an All-Star in 2022. Plus, he won the team's first outdoor game.
Injuries will be a major sticking point of Andersen's tenure
The one thing that everyone will always harp on is his availability. I'm convinced that a healthy Frederik Andersen helps the Canes get to at least the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022. I think they probably beat the Rangers in the second round, though I'm not sure about beating Tampa Bay. Instead, he got hurt in Colorado, and it ended one of the best seasons of his career.
This was just the tip of the iceberg. Andersen missed two months early in 2022-23. He was diagnosed with a blood clotting issue early in 2023-24, keeping him out for a few months. Knee surgery kept him sidelined for three months in 2024-25. This season was one of his healthier years until he was knocked out of the Stanley Cup Final in Game 3 after suffering an injury in Game 2.
Like in 2021-22, we don't talk about the work he put in after returning from his blood clotting issue in March 2024. He went 9-1-0 down the stretch, winning the first seven starts after his return and allowing just 13 goals in ten games. Andersen's resiliency made him the team's Masterton Award nominee that season, and he was named one of the league's three finalists.
The spotlight was almost never too bright for Andersen in the playoffs
At the end of the day, the goal is to win the Stanley Cup. For five years in Raleigh, Frederik Andersen chased that dream. An injury took away his chance to compete for it in 2022, and he wasn't even the team's starter when the postseason began in 2023. However, from the moment he took the net in Game 6 on Long Island through when he was forced out in Game 3 this year, Andersen was their man.
When Andersen was on, he was a man possessed. He went save-for-save with Sergei Bobrovsky in 2023, but the Canes came up empty. Andersen didn't put his best foot forward in 2024 against New York, though he bounced back in 2025 with outstanding series against New Jersey and Washington. This year, he was nearly unbeatable for three rounds, winning 13 of his 16 games.
Andersen finished as the most prolific postseason goalie in franchise history, owning records for the most games played (48), most wins (32), most shutouts (5), most shutouts in a single postseason (3, 2025-26), and the lowest GAA (2.07). Most importantly, Andersen finally got a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup, playing a major part in the team's run this season to the very end.
I believe that it says a lot about the person and teammate that Frederik Andersen is that he was the first person to be handed the Stanley Cup by the captain after they won it. Sure, he was one of the most tenured players on the team without winning it, but the guys who played in front of him clearly were acknowledging just how essential he was to this team, and that's pretty cool.
I can't help but think about how different his career would've been if Andersen had joined the Hurricanes when they drafted him in 2010. He took the long road to get to Raleigh, but he made it home eventually. I think he has a legitimate claim to being the second-best goalie in team history, but that's an argument for another day. I wish him nothing but the best in Edmonton. Thank you, Freddie!
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