Hurricanes Recall Pyotr Kochetkov, Felix Unger Sorum
April 14th: Although the Hurricanes activated Kochetkov, the team announced that he cannot play tonight due to a “roster technicality”. Still, while he won’t play tonight, Kochetkov will be available to Carolina for the postseason. According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, the Hurricanes will dress Thomas Sullivan as tonight’s emergency backup goaltender.
April 13th: The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that netminder Pyotr Kochetkov and winger Felix Unger Sorum were recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
While Unger Sorum did not play tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, this recall does position him to make his NHL debut tomorrow on Long Island against the New York Islanders. The 20-year-old is a 2023 second-round pick who has spent the last two campaigns in the AHL with Chicago.
Unger Sorum has long been viewed as a prospect with real potential to outplay his second-round draft slot, but he struggled to produce consistently as an AHL rookie. He scored just five goals and 20 points in 61 games for the Wolves, and didn’t make any serious push for a call-up. With that said, he was a 19-year-old rookie playing in a very difficult league, so few scouts saw his 2024-25 season as a reason to seriously downgrade his projection. Entering the season, he ranked No. 7 in Carolina’s system according to the team at Elite Prospects, while Corey Pronman at The Athletic ranked him No. 5.
This season, Unger Sorum has been one of the AHL’s fastest risers. He’s upped his production considerably, scoring 63 points in 69 games this season. At just 20 years old, he led all AHL players aged 23 or younger in scoring this season. Now, he’s set to be rewarded for his rapid rise with the chance to make his NHL debut, and perhaps show he could be counted on to fill a role in head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s playoff lineup in the event the Hurricanes suffer several injuries during their postseason run.
Kochetkov is today’s other recall, but he’s in a very different situation than Unger Sorum. Kochetkov was in Chicago on a conditioning stint as part of his recovery from an early-season hip injury. That injury has limited the 26-year-old Russian netminder to just nine games played this season. In those nine games, he went 6-2-0 with an .899 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average.
With Kochetkov sidelined, the Hurricanes were forced to rely on Brandon Bussi, a 27-year-old goalie who had been one of the top goalies in the AHL, but had yet to make his NHL debut. Bussi was a revelation in Carolina, and has gone 30-6-1 with a 2.50 goals against average and .892 save percentage. While he’s not been a Vezina caliber goaltender for the Hurricanes by any means, he’s shown a valuable ability to steer the Hurricanes to victory, even in contests where he plays below his standards. Carolina rewarded him with a three-year, $1.9MM AAV contract extension in February.
Where Kochetkov stands in the Hurricanes’ goalie rotation at this stage of the season is unclear. Despite the fact that Kochetkov has been with the Hurricanes since 2021-22, and the team has gone on numerous deep playoff runs since that point, he’s been limited to no more than four games played in any single one of the team’s postseason trips. His playoff save percentage is also just .860. That, combined with the fact that he has just nine games played this season, makes him, on paper, a somewhat unlikely candidate to play in the Hurricanes’ upcoming run.
With that said, the team’s primary playoff starter, Frederik Andersen, has an .874 save percentage this season, one of the lower marks of any full-time starter in the NHL. His experience may get him the nod in net at some point, but his form in 2025-26 can’t inspire confidence. And while Bussi has certainly had an impressive campaign, he lacks experience in the postseason. As a result, while Kochetkov has factors working against him, it certainly wouldn’t be too big a surprise to see him in the crease for Carolina at some point in the playoffs.
Hurricanes Recall Joel Nystrom, Ronan Seeley
The Hurricanes announced a pair of roster moves this morning. Defensemen Joel Nystrom and Ronan Seeley have been summoned from AHL Chicago, likely to permit the Canes to rest some more blue-liners for tonight’s regular-season finale against the Islanders. Carolina has made a common practice of resting regulars after locking up the Metropolitan Division and then Eastern Conference regular-season title, sitting a group that included Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Jaccob Slavin last night.
Nystrom, 23, has been quite the quick riser after Carolina selected him with the sixth-last pick of the 2021 draft. The 5’11” righty did get his entry-level contract in 2024 on the heels of a breakout year for Färjestad BK in Sweden but was loaned back to them for 2024-25, not making his AHL debut until late last year. But when injuries decimated Carolina’s blue line to begin the season, Nystrom was one of the first names up. He ended up skating in 37 games for the Canes, logging a goal and eight assists with a +5 rating, while averaging 15:10 per night.
His smooth offensive game fit in well with Carolina’s possession-heavy system. Despite the limited role and minimal North American track record, the Canes saw enough to ink him to a four-year extension in December that pays him $1.225MM per season. It’s clear they expect him to hang around as a #7/8 option next year. His waiver-exempt status meant he got demoted back to Chicago once Carolina got healthy in late January, but he’ll get a spot-duty bump now to get one more game in for the year, barring any playoff action.
The Canes would have preferred a bit more offensive output from Nystrom after returning to the minors. He stands with an identical 1-8–9 scoring line to his NHL stats, but in two fewer games. He does have four points in his last 10 outings for Chicago, though, so he’s on the right track.
As for Seeley, he would be in line for his NHL debut. The 23-year-old lefty was also a seventh-rounder, just a year before Nystrom. Now in his fourth professional season, all in the Canes’ system with either Chicago or ECHL Norfolk, he’s put up a career-best 10 goals in 67 games while adding 12 assists for 22 points. His physical game hasn’t really translated to positive defensive results in the AHL – he’s a career -62 player in 264 games – but he’ll get rewarded here for being an available fixture on the farm since making his pro debut back in 2022.
Carolina Hurricanes Reassign Josiah Slavin
The AHL’s Chicago Wolves are getting their captain back. Yesterday evening, in a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes shared that they’ve returned forward Josiah Slavin to AHL Chicago.
Slavin, the brother of Hurricanes alternate captain Jaccob Slavin, was recalled a few days ago in a multi-player call-up. Carolina isn’t dealing with any injuries to their forward corps, but having already captured the top seed in the Metropolitan Division, they had the opportunity to rest some players leading up to the playoffs.
Overall, although he didn’t register any points, Slavin must consider his call-up a success. He skated in two games with Carolina, his first NHL action since the 2022-23 campaign, and earned a +1 rating while averaging approximately 15 minutes of ice time.
Now, Slavin will return to AHL Chicago as they prepare for their own playoff hopes. The Wolves are expected to secure the second seed in the AHL’s Central Division, giving them a first-round bye in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Although the six-year veteran typically doesn’t lead the Wolves on the stat sheet, he’s managed a productive season by all accounts. In 67 games, Slavin has registered six goals and 25 points with a +2 rating. Still, considering he’s only managed one assist in 10 postseason contests throughout his career, he’ll want to increase that production this year to give Chicago better odds at making it deeper into the playoffs.
Hurricanes Announce Eight Out With Injury
The Carolina Hurricanes have been hit with a wave of injuries with only three games left in the season. According to NHL.com’s Walt Ruff, the Hurricanes were without forwards Jackson Blake, William Carrier, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, and Logan Stankoven; defenseman Jalen Chatfield and K’Andre Miller; and goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov in Saturday’s game against the Utah Mammoth. No details or timelines have been revealed for any injuries. That is except for Kochetkov, who is currently on a conditioning loan with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves after missing most of the season with a lower-body injury that required surgery.
The Hurricanes were forced to overhaul their lineup with so many players out. Skyler Brind’Amour, Josiah Slavin, and Bradly Nadeau were recalled from the AHL to make up Carolina’s fourth-line, while Nicolas Deslauriers stepped onto a line with Eric Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Defensemen Mike Reilly and Charles-Alexis Legault also stepped onto the blue-line. This is the second NHL game of the season for Brind’Amour and the younger Slavin. The duo have scored 34 and 25 points in 66 AHL games this season respectively. The NHL appearance is a bigger deal for Nadeau, a top Hurricanes prospect who notched 53 points in 51 AHL games this year. Nadeau also has two goals in nine NHL games this season. Leagult has matched Nadeau’s NHL scoring, with two points in nine games, on top of seven points in 22 AHL games.
It is not yet clear how the Hurricanes will move forward in the face of so many injuries. With only two games left after Saturday’s matchup, Carolina could afford to rest all seven injured NHL skaters for the rest of the regular season. The Hurricanes have locked up the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a 51-22-6 record this season. They sit 10 points above the Pittsburgh Penguins in second place. Carolina is set to enter the postseason as a favorite to win the Stanley Cup out of the Eastern Conference. They will need to have all hands on deck to acheive that feat, with a first round matchup against the Boston Bruins or Ottawa Senators on the table.
Hurricanes Assign Pyotr Kochetkov On Conditioning Stint
Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov might be an option in the playoffs after all. The team announced today that they’ve assigned the netminder to AHL Chicago for a conditioning stint.
Kochetkov has been out since Dec. 20 after undergoing a lower-body surgery that was thought to be season-ending. He can now be in the minors for up to six days or three games, whichever comes first. Carolina will need to apply to the NHL for an extension if they want to keep him there past that.
The 26-year-old’s season was virtually over before it began. He first started dealing with the lower-body issue in training camp. It wasn’t initially expected to impact his regular-season availability, but he ended up not being able to make his season debut until November after looking good in one conditioning start in Chicago.
Kochetkov never got back to 100%, though. He was in and out of the lineup throughout the next several weeks. He made eight starts and one relief appearance, managing a 6-2-0 record with a .899 SV% and 2.33 GAA, before electing for surgery.
Kochetkov’s absence, plus the veteran Frederik Andersen‘s struggles, has paved the way for preseason waiver claim Brandon Bussi to fully claim the starter’s crease in Carolina ahead of the postseason. With him logging a 30-6-1 record in 37 starts with a .890 SV% and 2.52 GAA, there’s little question about who will be starting Game 1.
Still, those numbers are below average on the surface. They aren’t much better when taking a look behind the curtain. Out of the 48 goalies to play 30-plus games this season, Bussi’s -0.3 goals saved above expected ranks 26th, per MoneyPuck. He’s a middle-of-the-road starting option – still a great outcome from someone initially expected to be their third-stringer – but hasn’t been dominant by any stretch.
Kochetkov obviously wasn’t much better in his brief action earlier this season, and throwing him into the playoff fire after such a lengthy absence carries risk. He is, however, coming off a strong enough 2024-25 campaign that saw him log a 6.0 GSAx, and he’s made at least one playoff appearance for Carolina in each of the last four seasons.
Still, goaltending has been a persistent relative weak spot for the Canes this season and in past playoff runs. It stands to reason that Bussi, while overwhelmingly likely to take the crease for Game 1 later this month, will be on a short leash. If Kochetkov is available, that’s an even-better insurance policy for head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Hurricanes Resting Numerous Players
Shortly before tonight’s game against Chicago, the Carolina Hurricanes shared several who won’t play: Jalen Chatfield, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov.
A laundry list, it’s enough to raise some eyebrows, but the main motivation of doing so is rest against a bottom-ranked team. The Hurricanes already locked up their divisional title, as they await their first round opponent, currently projected to be Ottawa if the playoffs started today.
Only one of the bunch is known to be injured, Chatfield, who left Tuesday’s action and is not 100%, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told the media, including Walt Ruff, team reporter.
Yesterday the club recalled Skyler Brind’Amour, Bradly Nadeau, Josiah Slavin, and Charles-Alexis Legault from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, and sure enough each of them are in the lineup tonight. It’s perfect timing considering they’re able to join the Hurricanes right across town, in time to play the nearby Blackhawks with limited disruption.
Brind’Amour’s presence is impossible to miss on name alone, as he’ll play with his father behind the bench for the first time since last year. No stranger to such April call-up duty, he found the back of the net for his first NHL goal late last season. The local product has become a respectable AHLer in his own right, sixth on the Wolves in scoring with 34 points in 66 games this year.
Slavin also carries a name synonymous with the Canes, as the brother of Jaccob. The 27-year-old is making his team debut, with first NHL action since 2021-22. A respected veteran at the AHL level, the winger is the captain of the Wolves, putting up 25 points in 66 games.
With the sentimental call-ups aside, Nadeau stands out as a promising youngster. The 20-year-old was a first rounder of the Canes in 2023 (30th overall) and already has the most NHL experience out of the bunch at 11 games (three points). Boasting an elite shot, the 5’11” winger is considered Carolina’s top forward prospect, with real top six upside. His AHL production has been excellent, 58 goals across 115 regular season games, and he’ll enjoy a spot on the second line still working to put it together at the highest level.
Finally, Legault is the only defenseman of the bunch, where he’s locked in on the third pairing. The 22-year-old has managed to skate in eight games with the big club this year, recording two points. The Quebec native has only modest AHL numbers, but at 6’4”, he hardly has to contribute in that area.
Carolina’s farmhands clinched a playoff spot, so the four will be summoned back across town shortly. The Hurricanes have three more regular season games after tonight, and they will rotate their lineup, continuing to be careful with more pressing matters around the corner.
Hurricanes Assign Ivan Ryabkin To AHL
The Chicago Wolves, AHL affiliates of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that prospect forward Ivan Ryabkin has been reassigned to the team from his junior club. Ryabkin had been playing for the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, whose season ended on April 7 when they fell in a seven-game first-round playoff series against the Quebec Ramparts.
Ryabkin actually began his 2025-26 season in the AHL with the Wolves. He signed his entry-level contract on August 27 and just over a month later, was reassigned by the Hurricanes to the AHL as part of a round of training camp cuts. Ryabkin had a slow start to his season in the AHL, scoring just one point in his first six games. Through the end of the calendar year, Ryabkin played a limited role in Chicago, and only managed seven points in 25 games, to go alongside 56 penalty minutes.
When the calendar flipped to 2026, Ryabkin and the Hurricanes decided to make a change in where he played in order to spark some momentum in his development. Ryabkin was loaned to the QMJHL’s Islanders, where he found his groove, scoring 13 goals and 42 points in just 20 games. He also added four goals and nine points in six playoff games, but missed the third game of the series against Quebec after he was suspended for abuse of officials.
Now back in Chicago, Ryabkin will re-join the pro ranks with some real wind in his sails. He was undeniably valuable in the QMJHL, with his unique blend of physical aggression and offensive skill proving to be quite the handful for QMJHL opponents to try to handle. The key next step in his development will be translating that success to the pro game, which he’ll eventually need to do if he wants to make it to the NHL.
Without question, Ryabkin will be one of the most interesting prospects in the AHL to track. He has shown himself to be an extremely talented young forward at times, especially in the Russian junior circuit. But it is also important to recognize that Ryabkin has also been subject to skepticism from scouts in the public sphere who aren’t sure he’ll be able to deliver on his talent and make it to the NHL.
Last month, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler outlined some of the concerns Ryabkin has faced thus far as a prospect. According to Wheeler, who ranked Ryabkin as the No. 6 prospect in Carolina’s system, there has been “talk of [Ryabkin] being difficult to coach” and Ryabkin “interviewed poorly with NHL teams and received heavy criticism for his fitness and weight.”
Wheeler did also note that Ryabkin “remains a talent” and added that “it’s hard to find centers with his skill and offensive instincts/intuition” in the second round of the draft. He concluded by saying the 18-year-old is “going to have to prove himself every step of the way” on his path to the NHL.
With today’s transaction, Ryabkin has rejoined the AHL. There, he will resume the process of developing his game and proving that he can, at some point in the future, translate his talent into NHL value for the Hurricanes.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Four Players
Having already wrapped up the Metropolitan Division title, the Carolina Hurricanes have the opportunity to give their typical players a rest. To that end, according to a team announcement, the Hurricanes have recalled forwards Skyler Brind’Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and Josiah Slavin, and defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
Brind’Amour, son of Carolina’s head coach, Rod Brind’Amour, has the chance to play in the third NHL contest of his career tomorrow night. He debuted last year around this time of the season, scoring one goal in two games with a -3 rating, averaging 16:35 of ice time per night. The Quinnipiac University alumnus has scored 16 goals and 34 points in 66 games with AHL Chicago this season.
Although the 26-year-old Brind’Amour isn’t seen as one of the better forward prospects in the Hurricanes’ system, Nadeau is. The former first-round pick of the 2023 NHL Draft has been electric in the AHL, scoring 58 goals and 111 points in 112 games over the past two seasons. Still, he’s been fairly quiet in his NHL opportunities to date, registering one goal and three points in 11 contests since the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Meanwhile, the Brind’Amours won’t be the only familial connection on the team. Slavin, the brother of team captain Jaccob Slavin, will have the opportunity to play in his first NHL contest since the 2021-22 campaign, then with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old veteran has had a respectable season in the AHL, scoring six goals and 25 points in 66 games as the Wolves’ captain.
Lastly, Legault, 22, has had the most NHL playing time among the quartet this season. Filling in as an injury replacement earlier in the campaign, Legault has one goal and two points in eight games on his NHL resume. Playing in his first professional campaign, the Montreal, QC native has registered three goals and seven points in 22 games for AHL Chicago.
Latest On Jalen Chatfield Injury
The Colorado Avalanche shared that Nazem Kadri wouldn’t return against St. Louis as a result of an upper-body injury. It was not immediately evident where the ailment occurred.
Since returning to the Avs at the trade deadline, Kadri has served a middle six role, few teams offering a player of his caliber at third line center. In 15 games so far he’s recorded nine points, clearly no longer the elite scorer at age 35, but a strong player nonetheless.
Kadri’s corsi for at five-on-five expectedly jumped to 55%, although his 52% mark in Calgary was already admirable on a struggling team as opposed to the league’s best. Fully evident of his role change, he’s starting just under 52% of shifts in the defensive zone under head coach Jared Bednar, a drastic flip from his nearly 67% on the attack as a Flame.
With this in mind, Kadri plays a crucial role with match-ups, should the Avalanche go on a deep run this spring. Postgame updates will be watched closely, with the hope that he’ll be good to go for the club’s next game, Thursday, as they host his former team of the Flames.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour had no postgame update on Jalen Chatfield, noted by Cory Lavalette of The North State Journal. The defenseman left in the third period, bothered with a lower-body injury, and didn’t return. Carolina clinched their Metropolitan Division crown with a back-and-forth overtime win over Boston, but it would be costly if they lost Chatfield for any extended period. At age 29, the shutdown man is averaging over 20 minutes for the first time in his career, continuing to show outstanding possession metrics in a real second pairing role. The Canes will hope Chatfield is back for one of their four remaining regular season games, as soon as Thursday in Chicago.
- Insider Frank Seravalli of Frankly Hockey believes the Nashville Predators will explore former Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald as a candidate, as noted in the April 7 edition of the podcast. Fired by New Jersey just yesterday, Seravalli suspects that the timing was with this in mind. The 57-year-old is a natural fit with the Predators, having served as their inaugural captain, playing alongside current head coach Andrew Brunette, under the departing general manager Barry Trotz, no less. Fitzgerald stands out as a candidate with over five years of general manager experience at the NHL level, a trait favorable compared to other options. The Predators are thought to be seeking an entirely new voice, but at the very least, Fitzgerald will garner consideration.
Jordan Martinook, Jordan Staal Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injuries
- The Hurricanes were without two-thirds of their main checking line in yesterday’s loss to the Senators, as Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal were unable to go. Both were late scratches due to undisclosed injuries, the team announced. They each missed three-game stretches earlier in the year with a lower-body injury and an illness, respectively, but have otherwise been durable. With the Metropolitan Division title all but locked up with now just five games left in the season, it’s likely a case of extremely precautionary rest ahead of the playoffs. Martinook has 26 points and a +5 rating in his 73 appearances this year, while Staal has 33 points and a +3.