RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is expected to miss at least two months because of knee surgery.
The Hurricanes announced Thursday that the 35-year-old netminder will have surgery Friday with a projected recovery time of eight to 12 weeks. That comes roughly a week after coach Rod Brind’Amour said the team had originally hoped for Andersen to be week-to-week, but now faces a “way longer” time frame with an unspecified injury.
Andersen hasn’t played since Oct. 26 in the Hurricanes’ 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. He made 18 saves to improve to 3-1-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in four games this season.
Brind’Amour also said last week that Andersen’s absence has nothing to do with the blood-clotting condition that sidelined him for much of the regular season last year.
The Canes called up Spencer Martin from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to back up fellow goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov for Monday’s 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks.
Kochetkov, 25, is expected to handle the bulk of the work with Andersen sidelined.
Carolina won at Philadelphia on Wednesday night and visits New Jersey on Thursday in the middle of a three-game road swing.