Pyotr Kochetkov: Buy All Of His Fantasy Hockey Stock
I have a theory. Nobody likes to hear it but it just rings true the more time goes on. Goalies are the running backs of the NFL or the bullpen pitcher in baseball. Stop paying them. Rely on your pro scouting and find the right youngster that costs nothing to get the job done. Mark my words, Pyotr Kochetkov is the Hurricanes’ best goalie moving forward and you need to buy all of his fantasy hockey stock before it’s too late.
This is not meant to put a blow torch at Freddie Andersen. He’s a really great player and is probably a pure top 5 or at minimum top 10 goalie in the league. However, the truth of the matter is, the Canes built their team on the backs of two guys in net who are never healthy. Both Andersen and Antti Raanta have suffered their fair share of injuries.
Andersen broke down at the wrong time for Carolina a year ago and probably cost them a chance at truly advancing come postseason time. This year, he’s hurt once again and will likely be out for a significant period of time.
It’s nothing personal. Just business given the way the rules are structured. Was it a good idea to pay Jack Campbell? The early indication says no. Was Darcy Kuemper worth paying when Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov have both outplayed him in their stops in Jersey and Toronto respectively? Imagine if the Predators had just sold high on Juuse Saros?
Do you still think I’m crazy? Running backs and bullpen pitchers. That’s what goalies are. Who’s playing well right now? Logan Thompson, Stuart Skinner, Jake Oettinger, and Alexandar Georgiev. That’s basically your list outside of Connor Hellebuyck who is the one vet goalie in the league playing well.
Pyotr Kochetkov is going to thrive for the rest of the year because now is his time to do just that. Plus, life in Carolina is about as easy as it gets league-wide. Your blue line is way more important than who’s actually in net. Koochie has Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei around him. I think the guy is going to be more than okay! If Carolina got people fooled on Alex Nedeljkovic, then we should be fully confident the former second round pick in 2019 will thrive.
In his second start of the season, Kochetkov pitched a 27-save shut out. I’m not saying this is going to happen every night but this is a good spot for him to succeed. It’s not like Kochetkov isn’t talented either. Kochetkov sported a 13-1-1 record and .921 SV% in the AHL last year. He also has an impressive resume in the KHL as well.
It’s just the cycle of life. Now is the time for Kochetkov to shine. It’s a passing of the torch. Kochetkov is going to get playing time and once he’s in the mix for long enough, they won’t be able to take him out of the lineup. If you need a goalie in fantasy, picking up Kochetkov could wind up being a league winning type move. Especially while playing for a Carolina team that will stack wins consistently throughout the season.
