After ‘scary times’ with health issue, Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen eager to play
Every day, Frederik Andersen gets closer.
After going through what he described Wednesday as “scary times,” the Carolina Hurricanes goaltender still isn’t sure when he will be back playing games again. It has been a slow process recovering from blood-clotting issues. But he is closer.
Andersen. who has missed the past 43 games, made his first public comments Wednesday since it was announced Nov. 6 by the team that medical testing had revealed the issue and that Andersen would be sidelined indefinitely.
In a further update Jan. 31 , the Canes said Andersen had been diagnosed with a deep-vein thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolisms.
Andersen, 34, said there was no “exact timetable” for a return to play. He has been practicing with the Hurricanes and was at Wednesday’s workout at PNC Arena, joining goalies Pyotr Kochetkov and Spencer Martin.
“I’m just focusing on taking it day by day,” Andersen said. “I can’t tell you enough how excited I am to be back with my teammates and doing what I love.”
Andersen’s last game was Nov. 2 in a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. He said the symptoms began soon before the team’s announcement four days later, but did not discuss any specifics about the issue or say what medications he has been taking.
Andersen has had injuries during his 11-year NHL career and in his three seasons with the Hurricanes. This was different. This was a health issue, with a lot of questions to be answered about medical treatment, about when it might be safe for him to resume conditioning and get back on the ice.
“It was scary,” Andersen said. “It was something new and I’d never dealt with this before. I tried to get educated as fast as I can and then lean on the great team of doctors and taking their advice and recommendations. They helped me kind of get a grasp on what I needed to decide on.”
Before being sidelined, Andersen had played in six games with a 4-1-0 record, 2.87 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. The Canes re-signed him to a two-year free-agent contract after last season that pays him $3.4 million a year.
Goalies Antti Raanta and Kochetkov have handled the brunt of the work since Andersen went out, Raanta being recalled from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Kochetkov has appeared in 28 games and Raanta 24. for the Canes (33-17-5), who are second in the Metro Division.
Martin was claimed on waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets when Kochetkov went out with an injury. Raanta now is sidelined with a lower-body injury and has missed the past five games.
Martin has given the Canes a boost, stepping in and winning all three starts — against Boston, Vegas and Chicago. When Kochetkov was ill Monday, Martin started against the Blackhawks.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday he did not know how close Andersen was to getting back in games. Nor was he sure, he said, when Raanta might return.
