Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere “appears set to return” from his stint on injured reserve and will likely be activated before tonight’s game against the Capitals, according to the team’s Walt Ruff. Carolina does not have an open roster spot and will need to make a corresponding move to get Gostisbehere off IR. That will likely mean an IR placement for depth call-up Charles-Alexis Legault. He underwent surgery yesterday to repair multiple torn extensor tendons on his right hand after sustaining a skate cut against the Maple Leafs on Sunday and is expected to miss three to four months, the team announced.
Gostisbehere has had a rough start to the campaign health-wise. He hasn’t played a full game since Oct. 16. He left the following contest with a lower-body injury and, although he subsequently returned after a three-game absence, skated just 7:19 in his return on Oct. 28 against the Golden Knights. He suffered an abdominal injury in that game and has missed the last six games as a result. He was only moved to IR last Friday, but since the placement was retroactive, he was eligible to come off at any time.
Those injuries stunted what had been some incredible momentum from Gostisbehere through his first few games. Despite logging under 10 minutes of ice time in two of his six appearances, the 32-year-old has a goal and six assists for seven points – six of which came at even strength. Carolina’s top power-play quarterback also managed a +8 rating and controlled 67.4% of shot attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5, a 12.2% bump compared to the team’s CF% without him.
His return is a crucial one for the Hurricanes’ blue line, which has been decimated by injuries in the early going. On top of Gostisbehere’s in-and-out status, Jaccob Slavin’s absence is closing in on the one-month mark, while K’Andre Miller was also recently sidelined for a six-game stretch. Jalen Chatfield also landed on injured reserve last week due to a concussion and is out indefinitely. That’s left Carolina without half their regular defense corps for multiple games.
Their depth has stepped up, though. The Canes remain second in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-4-0 record and have a +17 goal differential to lead the Eastern Conference. The play of names who started the season in the minors, like Legault, have played a significant role in that. The righty is still just 22 years old and is two years removed from being a fifth-round pick in 2023 after being passed over in 2021 and 2022. Through his first eight NHL appearances, the 6’4″, 220-lb rearguard has a goal and an assist with a +4 rating and saw 13:16 of ice time per game.
Legault was still set to be on the outside of the lineup when Carolina’s blue line was fully healthy again, but for now, they’re without a quality third-pairing replacement option who might have long-term staying power if his development progresses at its current pace.
As for Gostisbehere, he’ll make his return in second-pairing duties on his off side next to rookie Alexander Nikishin. He should also usurp Miller, who had been filling in on Carolina’s first power-play unit in the past few games, as the top man-advantage quarterback.