Frederik Andersen is coming back for the Canes!

Trip Tracy, voice the game analyst, leading man about town.

I don't know. It was a very awkward introduction to my friend, Trip Tracy, who is enjoying a little R&R, hanging out with Frank, going to the dog park. And hopefully I see you tomorrow, but there's no obligation for Cain's Corner, starring Rod Brenda Moore. How are you, Trip? I'm doing well, A.G., and I'm sure you want to talk about hockey and the hurricanes.

I did enjoy our back and forth after that gut-wrenching loss from my Detroit Lions on Sunday night. I did enjoy picking your brain about it, and so thank you for that. You're welcome. You're welcome. First of all, happy birthday to your mom. Thank you. That was, what, two days ago, right?

Yeah, it was Monday. I actually popped up to see her, and so 88 years young, although she would deny that. Spry. Spry.

I've seen her on the dig in with Trip, or some videos associated with it. Let me get to the Frederick Anderson imminent return, although imminent is obviously kind of in quotes here. The team announced today that Freddie would resume working out, get back on the ice very soon from whatever you can gather as a former goaltender. Everybody's different. How long do you think Freddie needs to get up to speed to be able to get back on the ice and play?

Boy, that's an impossible, really impossible question for me to answer because this is such a unique situation, and every guy is individually different. What I can say is today's news is it's fantastic news first and foremost for Freddie's health. And then once you get beyond that, this is a major step for the Carolina Hurricanes and for Frederick Anderson. And beyond that, I don't know that you can put a timetable on it beyond assessing it every day.

And this is when I think you first, in earnest, are talking about it. And when they come back and they practice for the first time on Sunday, I don't know if Freddie, even during the break, is going to be skating on his own, but that's going to be the first practice Sunday and Monday before you get back to game action on Tuesday. I think the biggest thing that I look at, A.G., aside from this, I mean, delightful news that, you know, I think makes all Hurricanes fans very, very happy for the health of Frederick Anderson is now, for me as an analyst and a friend of Freddie's, aside from our professional relationship, is when they get when they get back to work next week, they have just over a month before the trade deadline, which is March 8th this year. And when I look at the crystal ball, I mean, that's and it's it's going to be a stretch of home games and then a several game road trip, home games, another several game road trip, quality opponents, a lot of hockey. And I think it will give Don Waddell is the general manager, obviously the president, too. But then Rob Brind'Amour, a gauge over a significant sample size as to, A, where Freddie's at, B, where Piotr Kochekov is at.

And then, of course, you have Aunty Ronta and Spencer Martin. And it gives you, I think, a good period of time, which is a very advantageous thing to think about what you might or might not have to do right at the trade deadline. I mean, Anderson in particular. You want to get to a point where you can count on him to be healthy, right? If you can get to that point, here's a guy that in his career has just under a nine twenty eight percentage in the playoffs, including had it not been for Sergei Bobrovsky.

Who knows? He might've taken to the Stanley cup last year. So that's important to note that his, his playoff performance over a significant period of data. I know there've been some disappointments in Toronto and they lost to Bobrovsky and company last year, but Anderson's numbers, I mean, his safe percentage is slightly higher in the playoffs than it is in the regular season. But the big question for him has always been and continues to be, and it should be, can you count on him?

And I think you have a significant period of time. You'll have just over a month to be able to gauge that between when you start playing again and you return and the trade deadline and Kochekov and his performance certainly factors into that in my mind as an analyst too. All right, let me get to Kochekov because we're going to get a, probably a very good look right away as to what Kochekov is. And I don't think we should make the determination, you know, after one game or two games or three games, but the body of work from the game at Ottawa to the injury against Anaheim, other than the game against the Islanders, was really exceptional from Kochekov.

Let me just say we're talking about a safe percentage in the, I believe, in the 920s, if not even, you know, up to 930. So it was a very good long stretch of games for Kochekov, resembled the big stretch from Veterans Day last year until just before the holidays where he was so good. If Kochekov comes back and performs well, doesn't that answer enough of the questions that at the very least you might just need maybe somebody you can use reliably, but not necessarily, you know, use as your number one, right?

I do believe that, but I preface what I'm going to say by establishing the fact that in all of our conversations, Adam, even when there have been some young, you know, in the Valley trying to find its spots for Kochekov, I've always been very bullish on it. Right. So I, I preface what I'm going to say by saying that I'm from Detroit. And I remember my first year in the American league and the 96, 97 season got eliminated in the semifinals of the Calder cup playoffs, came back and watched actually Rod Brind'Amour's Philadelphia Flyers lose to Mike Vernon and the Detroit Red Wings. And so Vernon was brought in a veteran and now a hall of famer because Detroit didn't feel that Osgood was quite ready.

They had Osgood room with him. And then the next year Vernon's let go. The next year Osgood takes over and they win another Stanley cup, the 98 against Washington. So as bullish as I am on Kochekov, if Kochekov comes back and plays at the level that he significantly has, uh, you know, since before the halfway mark of December, he could be ready right now.

Right. And I use that Detroit scenario. And then I also factor in, like I said, Frederick Anderson, if Anderson's ready and you think you can count on him to be healthy as he was after he took over in game six against the Islanders, but you've got to be very deliberate and thorough and nothing is a certainty. And then you got Ranta who has recaptured his game.

Martin's just had one start, but a quality win. You know, these are a lot of boxes that need to be checked and questions that need to be answered. And you have the benefit of a month again till the trade deadline. If these things are all positives, I don't see the necessity to do anything. Right.

That's why it's it's it's going to be the very definition of fluid. And then you can take whatever assets you have allocated towards improving the team where you see fit. You can go out and add a, uh, a, you know, like a Swedish right handed center who plays in the Western Conference. I mean, there is that there is that possibility. I think every team that has won a Stanley Cup since the since the Earth cold has had a Swedish right handed center coming back to an organization that drafted fifth, drafted in fifth overall in 2013.

I could be wrong there. But I mean, it first of all, just great news on a human level. And we'll let you go on this because the people had needed to understand. And sometimes we all get, you know, wrapped up in the team winning that this was not an injury. This was a medical condition.

And that we everybody had to just kind of pump the brakes on, you know, trying to rush Freddie. And this was funny as I saw him at the game. It wasn't the the last game wasn't the one on Saturday night.

It was the previous one against the Devils. And it was the first time I had I'd seen him on press row before. First time I'd seen him smiling. Like he felt he just looked happier. He was just engaged in small talk. Normally, he'd been pretty, you know, kind of glum when I'd seen him up there.

Maybe that's just me. But I saw him smile. And I thought that maybe that's a good sign. So I think it's all it's all good. Best to Frank and you. And we'll, I'll see you very soon. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow night.

Thank you, AG. And I know you got to go. But I'm sure you have that list of topics in what should be a riveting conversation at the Backstreet Bistro with Rod. I cannot wait. I'm making a game plan. I am tailoring a game plan for that.

I cannot wait for that. Can you do me a favor to ask him about? Because every time I try to make an honorary Lions fan, he he just does not bite. Really love to hear I would love to hear his take on, you know, a coach, the balance of being who you are and what got you to a certain point and then also simultaneously managing the game. I don't know what the answer is to the question, but I see so many similarities between the way that Rod's changed the Hurricanes franchise and in the early going, Dan Campbell has the Lions.

That would be a really interesting answer for me. All right. Oh, it's duly noted. It's on my sheet now. Awesome. Thank you, sir. We'll have you have a great day, man.

Trip Tracey here on the Adam Goldshaw. Without the ones like you who work tirelessly to keep things running, everything would suddenly stop. Hospitals, factories, schools and power plants.

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