The 2026 Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, were led by outstanding goaltending, by two goaltenders, but mostly by Frederik Anderson, or Freddy Anderson. The 37-year-old might have gotten himself a contract somewhere after his recent performance in the playoffs, but it most certainly shouldn't be from the Utah Mammoth. As Anderson is set to become an unrestricted free agent and Carolina no longer needs him, he will be an interesting option for teams.
Anderson showed he can still play
At the very least, the 37-year-old pretty much showed he can carry a team, at least for the most part. Anderson essentially performed like he was in his prime for every playoff series before the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes went 12-1 before the finals, sweeping every team except the Montreal Canadians, who won game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals 6-2 before losing the next four in a row and the series itself to the Canes. Anderson was the starter coming into the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights, but he allowed 12 goals in just three games, which led to the Canes being down 2-1 in the series.
The Canes had to turn to Brandon Bussi due to an injury to Anderson, but even when healthy, Anderson wouldn't return, as the Canes won the next three games, with Bussi helping the team massively. In the last two games, the Golden Knights just looked really outmatched. Other than the Stanley Cup, which is, of course, still super important, Anderson proved he can show out in big moments. But even with that, the Mammoth really shouldn't touch Anderson.
The Mammoth can't risk having a bad goalie at the moment though
It is not certain that Anderson would be a bad goalie, but the Mammoth cannot risk money and a big position anyway. Anderson's numbers this season weren't good: 16-14-5, 3.05 GAA, .874 SV%. The Mammoth doesn't need another bad backup after Vitek Vanecek put up a 5-13-5 record while also having a bad .883 SV%. Even the starter, Karel Vejmelka, had some numbers that weren't superstar numbers by any means. Vejmelka had a .897 SV% while allowing 2.75 goals per game.
The Mammoth seemed to always find ways to win, though, with Vejmelka posting a 38-20-3 record, the second-best in the NHL. Ultimately, the Mammoth don't need to push the emergency button, as starter Vejmelka proved he can maintain that role. But the backup didn't. Signing Anderson would add a potentially good and effective veteran, but there is also a good chance that it would create an issue. The Mammoth don't need to add a goalie who has a greater chance of hurting the team than helping it.
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