Carolina Hurricanes loan top prospect to Tampa Bay Lightning while Andrei Vasilevskiy heals from injury

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Josh Tupper
October 9, 2023 (12:41)

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made a surprising decision today, but one that was completely necessary due to their lack of planning. In a strange move NHL insider Kevin Weekes revealed that the Carolina Hurricanes will be loaning goaltender Pyotr Kochetov to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I'm told that the @Canes are loaning G Kochetkov to @TBLightning @TheAHL Affiliate @SyracuseCrunch while Vasilevskiy is injured . Very interesting move, given Canes don't have an AHL Affiliate of their own, and Syracuse is Tampa's 👀 . #HockeyTwitter

Kochetov is currently viewed as the third goalie in Carolina behind both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Due to injuries, Kochetov played 24 games with the Hurricanes last year, posting an impressive 2.44 GAA and .909 save percentage, along with a 12-7-5 record.

Kochetov will report to the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. The move comes as the Hurricanes don't currently have an AHL affiliate of their own, after their recent deal with the Chicago Wolves expired and they were unable to find another affiliate.

It's a curious and rare move, and showcases the necessity for teams to have an AHL affiliate to develop their own players. Kochetov will not be able to be called up to the Lightning, but will now serve as a depth goaltender in the Lightning organization, if they need to call up another goalie.