Hurricanes activate Andersen off IR

The Carolina Hurricanes announced Friday they've activated goaltender Frederik Andersen off injured reserve.

Andersen had been out since Oct. 26. He was initially labeled week-to-week with a lower-body injury before undergoing knee surgery in November.

However, Andersen's return to game action will likely be forced to wait, as Pyotr Kochetkov projects to start Friday against the Vegas Golden Knights, according to the North State Journal's Cory Lavolette. Dustin Tokarski was assigned to the AHL in a corresponding move.

Carolina is off for the weekend before back-to-back road games Monday and Tuesday in Chicago and Dallas, respectively.

Andersen was locked in to start the season, going 3-1-0 with a .941 save percentage before his injury. He owns a .919 mark in 106 appearances since joining the Hurricanes as a free agent in 2021. The 35-year-old is in the final year of his contract with a $3.5-million cap hit.

He and Kochetkov project to share the crease moving forward, assuming both can stay healthy. Kochetkov, 25, owns a .901 save percentage in 28 games as the club's primary starter this season.