Hurricanes Freddie Andersen returns to practice

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Freddie Andersen returned to practice Wednesday following knee surgery he had back in November.

The 35-year-old Danish-born netminder has been limited to four appearances on the season, in which he has posted a 3-1-0 record alongside a .941 save percentage and 1.48 goals-against average.

Andersen was asked by the media following practice, “How good does it feel to get back out here with the group?” the reporter asked. “Yeah, it’s great. It’s been obviously good stuff. I’m playing and I’m not doing it with the guys, so it feels good.”

Andersen was also asked to about what he has been through the last couple of seasons, “That’s obviously not a fun thing to go through. Obviously, it’s an adversity and you just kind of take it in stride.” The Danish netminder said.

While Andersen is making a quick recovery, there is no timeline on a full return, ‘That’s tough to say,” Andersen said. “I mean, there’s time in life you try to get as many practices in as possible. know, it’s post Christmas usually a tough game schedule. So obviously, the guys will be maybe off a little bit more. So right now, just focus on being as much as possible and when you’re getting the live action shots and as much unpredictability as possible is the next step. So I mean, trying to be taken stride and with the right mindset and just trust that I’m doing everything I can to be back quick. And I’d be able to help the team out when I do it back to the right way.”

Now in his fourth season with the Hurricanes, Andersen has battled injuries throughout his time in Carolina. Andersen missed 49 games last season due to a blood clot concern, while in 2022-23 he was limited to 34 contests due to a lower-body ailment.

In 2021-22, Andersen impressed in his first campaign with the Hurricanes, winning 35 of 52 games while finishing amongst the league leaders with a .922 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average. However, Andersen then missed the final six games of the regular season and the entirety of the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to a lower-body injury.