Best offer received - Is it enough?
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No. Tuch has value, but Kochetkov's potential value is much greater. First, stepping on the brakes a bit. Kochetkov is 23.5 years old, so younger than you'd expect for a goalie without an elite pedigree establishing himself. He'll certainly be, at worst, the backup in Carolina next year, Raanta isn't coming back. He has a 4 year contract starting next year in his pocket. Carolina is known to be cheap with goalies. Andersen is a UFA after this year. The big question is who will Carolina bring in as the team's other goalie next year. Carolina is an LTIR team this year. Pacioretty is up this year at $7mm per, although at 34, Carolina might let him walk. Andersen's cap hit this year is $4.5. He seems like he'd want one last long term contract, which Carolina seems unlikely to want to provide unless Andersen were to take a money hit. Jordan Staal at $6mm is up this year but he's the captain, so there might be some pull to bring him back despite his age. Aho, Necas, and Jarvis all need new deals after next season, and they're all looking at big salary increases.
If I had to guess, I'd say that Carolina tries to find a veteran who is willing to do a one year deal next year, like how Klingberg got shut out of the market and accepted a 1 year deal to ostensibly show his value. Carolina should be an attractive option for a goalie looking to make a good showing. Kochetkov is the backup next year. Then after that, Kochetkov is the #1 or at least the 1A for the following 3 years. I don't see a situation where Kochetkov is held back to only be a backup or a 1B option. With that, having a good goalie on a good team providing starting goalie production for 3 of the next 4 years is more valuable than Tuch and spare parts.
