Hurricanes finally got the goalie they wanted — 11 years later

When the Carolina Hurricanes drafted goalie Frederik Andersen in 2010, it was a long shot. Call it a final-round flier.

Andersen, playing for Denmark’s national team, had caught Canes scouts ‘ eyes in the 2010 IIHF World Championship, especially in beating Finland. He was 20 years old, big in net at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and with good mobility and instincts.

The Canes had one pick left, in the seventh round, No. 187. Why not Andersen?

Flash forward 11 years. Andersen never signed, never played for the Hurricanes. His hockey path has taken him from the Anaheim Ducks to the Toronto Maple Leafs and now, intriguingly, in a circle-of-life thing, finally to the Hurricanes.

Andersen, who has 226 career wins in the NHL, signed a two-year, free-agent contract Wednesday with the Canes that will pay him $4.5 million a year. Also signed was veteran goalie Antii Raanta, who also received a two-year deal for $2 million a year.

Andersen, like Raanta, believes it will be a good fit, saying the Canes have a “really good team, a really good culture.” Which begs the question: Why not in 2010?

“Way back when I was drafted we were trying to get something done, but looking at (goalie) Cam Ward being there for a number of years and being No. 1, it was a pretty busy net there,” Andersen said Thursday on a media call. “Me and my agents talked about going back and seeing what the draft could do and maybe end up in a place where the chance of playing and having a good career would be a little more possible.

“That was kind of our little gamble and the way we saw it, it was never about not playing in Carolina or anything like that. It was more the net was pretty busy. That was obviously a very different career path, looking back, but I thought it was the right move at the time and obviously I’ve had a good career so far.”

Andersen spent three years with the Ducks, who also had a busy net, then the past five with the Maple Leafs. He started 60 or more games in three consecutive seasons for the Leafs beginning in 2016-17, and 52 in the 2019-20 season before it was shut down because of the pandemic.

Jim Rutherford, the Canes’ former general manager, was irked over Andersen not signing after first being drafted. The goalie did come to Raleigh in the summer of 2011 to attend the Canes’ prospects development camp but would not agree to a contract.

Andersen spent two productive seasons in the Swedish Hockey League. He changed agents, going with Ritch Winter, whose clients included goalie Dominik Hasek. He also announced he would re-enter the NHL Entry Draft in 2012.

Rutherford issued a statement then: “We tried to sign Frederik to a contract, and made him aware that we felt there was an opportunity here for him to earn one of our two NHL spots during training camp. We are very disappointed that he chose not to join our organization. Prior to him changing his agent, we had every indication that he was very interested in being a part of the Carolina Hurricanes.”

Ward was the Canes’ established No. 1 goalie. But the Canes, by 2012, had gone through backup goalies such as Brian Boucher and Justin Peters. Ward had been injured and missed games. The opportunity was there to contend for a roster spot had Andersen signed.

Andersen was drafted by the Ducks in the third round in 2012. Unable to crack their roster, he put in a season in the American Hockey League with the Norfolk Admirals as Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth split the Ducks net during the lockout-shortened NHL season of 2012-13.

Andersen was in the NHL the next season, playing 28 games for the Ducks. Anaheim, with Andersen and John Gibson in net, then won the Pacific Division in 2014-15 and reached the Western Conference finals before losing the Chicago Blackhawks — Raanta then a member of the Blackhawks.

Traded to the Leafs in 2016, Andersen signed a five-year extension. He had stretches of outstanding play, at times as good as any goalie in the league, and then periods of spotty outings that did not play well in the media cauldron that is the Toronto market.

A lack of playoff success with the Leafs also stung but Andersen prefers to remember the good times in Toronto, saying Thursday, “Looking back, I have some great memories. A real good experience.”

The 2020-21 season wasn’t so good for Andersen: a 13-8-3 record, 2.96 goals-against average and .895 save percentage. He has a career 2.65 GAA and .915 save percentage.

Andersen said the Leafs let him know they would move in a different direction after the season, saying, “No hard feelings there.” In an odd twist, Toronto signed former Canes goalie Petr Mrazek in free agency.

The Canes wanted a new look in net next season. Andersen and Raanta will give it to them.

“I want to prepare and get back to the level I know I can play at,” Andersen said. “I think last year was a difficult year for me personally. Dealing with some injuries, I wasn’t able to play the way I wanted to. I definitely feel very motivated to get back to that level again.”

Canes sign Smith

The Canes announced Thursday that veteran Brendan Smith had been signed to a one-year, $800,000 contract.

Smith, 32, played 48 games with the New York Rangers in 2020-21 and has played 526 career games with New York and Detroit.