8:20 p.m.: The Hurricanes announced that Miller will miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury, so Nystrom will indeed make his NHL debut, wearing the colors of the Hartford Whalers.
8:00 p.m.: The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Joel Nystrom from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. The move positions Nystrom to potentially make his NHL debut in the Hurricanes’ game tonight against the Colorado Avalanche.
With star defenseman Jaccob Slavin placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, the club has recalled Nystrom to provide additional cover on defense. Nystrom, 23, fits a very different profile from the Hurricanes’ previous defensive recall, Charles-Alexis Legault. While Legault is a 6’4″, 215-pound right-shot blueliner with a game built around maximizing his size and strength, Nystrom is a 5’11”, 178-pound left-shot defenseman whose game is built around his quickness and ability to contribute on both ends.
Nystrom doesn’t arrive on the Hurricanes’ NHL roster with a huge amount of North American pro experience, though. He joined AHL Chicago in April after the conclusion of his SHL season with Färjestad BK, and has played in just seven games in North America, scoring two points. Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff even wrote today that Nystrom’s recall came “probably sooner than the team wanted,” even though the team’s hockey operations department thinks highly of his game.
Because of that, it’s possible Nystrom only gets the chance to participate in some NHL practices, travel with the team, and see NHL hockey up-close during this recall, rather than dress for any games. The team currently has K’Andre Miller, Alexander Nikishin, and Mike Reilly occupying its left-side blueline spots, and each player offers more North American pro experience than Nystrom.
In any case, the recall is a signal of the organization’s belief in Nystrom to make his presence known in the NHL sooner rather than later. This recall also has a potentially significant financial benefit for Nystrom, regardless of if he dresses for any games or not. As he’s playing out the final year of his entry-level deal, his salary is tied to a two-way structure. So, for as long as he can spend on the Hurricanes’ NHL roster, he’ll earn the prorated portion of his elevated $925K NHL pay rate, rather than the $80K salary he makes while he’s rostered in the AHL.