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Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen To Be Evaluated For Injury

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Despite securing a commanding 3-1 lead in their Round One series against the New Jersey Devils, the Carolina Hurricanes could have a different look between the pipes for their remaining games. After colliding with Devils’ forward Timo Meier in front of the net only 24 minutes into the game, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman passed along a note from Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicating the team would evaluate netminder Frederik Andersen for an injury when the team returns to Raleigh.

It’s difficult to speculate on the specificity of the injury. Still, video footage appeared to show Meier making contact with Andersen’s head, and Andersen’s right leg becoming contorted once he falls backwards into the net. There was no penalty called on the play, and Brind’Amour expressed his frustration clearly, telling Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal, “If it goes in, it’s 100% goalie interference, right?”

In the postgame press scramble, Meier claims there was no ill intent on the play, telling team reporter Amanda Stein, “I’m trying to get behind Svechnikov and get open for the passing lane. And Svechnikov pushed me in, obviously no intent there, and hope he’s not injured too bad. But nothing on my side that I could have done differently.”

Despite any possible disciplinary actions against Meier, the Hurricanes face familiar challenges with their goaltending. Andersen failed to appear in more than 40 games for the fourth time in five years during the 2024-25 campaign, largely due to a knee injury that kept him on the injured reserve for three months.

Still, he provided quality goaltending when healthy, managing a 13-8-1 record in 22 games with a .899 SV% and 2.50 GAA. It’s not quite the efficiency Carolina has been used to from Andersen over the last several years, but it’s more than enough considering the team playing in front of him.

Due to Andersen’s various injuries over the last several years, the Hurricanes have allowed netminder Pyotr Kochetkov to receive many of the starts. Kochetkov had an up-and-down year during the regular season, finishing with a 27-16-3 record in 47 games, a .897 SV%, and 2.60 GAA. He filled in nicely for Andersen today, posting a .933 SV% in approximately 36 minutes of gameplay.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Hurricanes manage if Andersen should miss any time. They’ve averaged 3.5 GF/G through four games against the Devils, indicating they may not be able to win on their offense alone. Kochetkov hasn’t proven a valuable goaltender in the past come postseason play, but that will have to change this spring if Carolina has any hopes of continuing without Andersen.

Hurricanes Officially Register Alexander Nikishin’s Contract

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On Friday, a representative for Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin expressed some frustration that his contract had yet to be registered with the NHL despite being agreed to in principle before the playoffs.  While it took longer than expected, it is now done as team reporter Walt Ruff relays (Twitter link) that the contract has been made official.  As expected, the deal begins this season, making him eligible to play in the playoffs.

GM Eric Tulsky also released the following statement:

“We had agreed with his agents to keep the options open for Alex to potentially play a game in Chicago at some point. But with their season now over, it makes sense to officially register an NHL contract for him, and we are excited for his future with the team.”

It was initially believed that Nikishin, one of the top blueliners outside the NHL in recent seasons, would make an immediate impact in Carolina’s lineup.  But when the coaching staff determined he wouldn’t be in their top six to start the postseason, the Hurricanes kept their options open in case they wanted Nikishin to get a game or two in with AHL Chicago on a tryout deal before registering the deal.  Chicago fell 5-0 to Rockford on Friday, ending their best-of-three series in a sweep so that option is no longer on the table, meaning there was no reason to delay things further.

The 23-year-old had 17 goals and 29 assists in 61 games with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL this season, a point total that was actually a bit lower than the last couple of years when he had 55 in 2022-23 and 56 in 2023-24.  He also logged more than 24 minutes a night while playing in all situations.  Head coach Rod Brind’Amour may not want to mess with a group that has gotten out to a two-to-one series lead on New Jersey just yet but now with Nikishin’s deal officially on the books, he has a very intriguing option to turn to at some point this postseason.

Alexander Nikishin’s Camp Unhappy With Delay In Registering Contract

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5:00 PM: Nikishin’s North American-based agent, Ryan Barnes, downplayed Demidov’s comments per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Per Friedman, Barnes shared that Nikishin’s camp continues to work on a deal with the Hurricanes – and chalked Demidov’s comments up to Nikishin’s Russian representation being eager to see him at the top flight. The additional comments may not totally alleviate the tension between Nikishin and a lineup role, but they will ease fans’ worries of a star prospect being traded.

11:30 AM: The relationship between the Hurricanes and star defense prospect Alexander Nikishin is off to a rocky start. While they announced they agreed to terms on an entry-level contract two weeks ago and Nikishin said he was “thrilled” to have the opportunity to join Carolina in the playoffs, general manager Eric Tulsky said Wednesday they’ve yet to register Nikishin’s contract with the league.

There was a fairly simple explanation for that – there’s no rush to insert Nikishin into a lineup that’s dominated through two games against the Devils, and leaving the contract unsigned makes Nikishin eligible to get some AHL postseason action in with their affiliate in Chicago. Nonetheless, the delay in signing has been frustrating to Nikishin and his representation.

“Carolina is behaving incomprehensibly, and not only for us, but for scouts and representatives of other NHL clubs,” agent Alexander Chernykh told Olesya Usova of RB Sport (translated from Russian). “Everyone is shocked and outraged. But, as I was told, this never surprises, because Carolina always behaves like this and with everyone. At the moment, we cannot comment on the situation, because the club’s actions defy common sense. If this continues, Alexander will either go back, or we will ask for a trade.”

That’s certainly a troubling statement regarding the 23-year-old Nikishin, who’s expected to be a key part of Carolina’s defense core next season with Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov slated to become unrestricted free agents. The 6’4″, 216-lb lefty was a third-round pick in 2020 and has been widely regarded as the top defenseman outside of the NHL over the past couple of years. He dominated his native Russia since his breakout 2022-23 campaign, recording 157 points in 193 games with a +70 rating over the last three years for SKA St. Petersburg.

Tulsky said that there wouldn’t be an issue in registering the contract if Nikishin’s services were needed in short order, but waiting to register the deal delays the payout of his $92.5K signing bonus and, obviously, impedes his ability to earn the $1.038MM performance bonus in his deal for winning playoff MVP honors, however unlikely that would have been.

Jonas Siegenthaler Likely Returning For Devils In Game 3

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Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler is expected to make an ahead-of-schedule return for the team in tonight’s Game 3 against the Hurricanes (via Peter Baugh of The Athletic).

Siegenthaler was a full participant in this morning’s skate in third-pairing duties alongside Simon Nemec, per the team’s Amanda Stein, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said he’ll have reduced minutes with his conditioning understandably not in playoff form. We noted just yesterday that Siegenthaler practiced for the first time since undergoing lower-body surgery in February.

“He’s feeling good and we’re optimistic that he’ll play,” Keefe said of Siegenthaler (from Mike Morreale of NHL.com). “We’ll give him the day and every opportunity to just feel as comfortable as possible but he’s had the appropriate appointments and his leg, the bone, is healed and that’s [not] a concern at all. The only thing he needed more time with was the conditioning side of it but we’re not able to provide him with that time given our circumstances here so we intend to play him today but it’ll be in a reduced role with reduced minutes and those sorts of things.”

In 55 games this season, the stay-at-home defenseman posted a 2-7–9 scoring line with a plus-nine rating, 92 blocks, and 75 hits while averaging 19:36 per game. Siegenthaler hasn’t played since Feb. 4 against the Penguins but didn’t miss a game all year before going under the knife.

Down 0-2 to the Hurricanes and without fellow rearguards Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes for a second straight game, Keefe confirmed, the Devils are banking on a boost from the reliable defensive blue-liner, even if his even-strength deployment is limited and he’s mostly dropped in a penalty-killing role. He’ll also look to improve on his only previous playoff showing for New Jersey, when he posted three points and a minus-three rating in 11 games in the 2023 playoffs.

The Devils have been outscored 7-2 in their two playoff games thus far despite receiving expert goaltending from Jacob Markström, who has a .930 SV% and has saved 3.9 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. New Jersey has been the league’s worst defensive team at 5-on-5 so far these playoffs, allowing 3.78 expected goals against per 60 minutes and 36.5 shots against per game in all situations.

They’re also avoiding a further injury scare with defenseman Brett Pesce. He was absent from this morning’s skate but will be in the lineup tonight, per Stein.

Photo courtesy of Luther Schlaifer-Imagn Images.

Alexander Nikishin Hasn't Signed Entry-Level Contract Yet

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  • Despite having his entry-level contract reported two weeks ago, Alexander Nikishin has yet to play a game in the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Much of that can be explained away due to his visa issues, however, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal passed along a note from Carolina General Manager Eric Tulsky indicating Nikishin hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet. Fortunately, Tulsky pointed out they’re merely working out the deal’s finer points, and the organization doesn’t feel rushed to add Nikishin to a lineup that has won the first two games of their Round One series against the New Jersey Devils.

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Devils’ Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon Out For Game 2

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Devils defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon will both miss tonight’s Game 2 matchup with the Hurricanes, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe (X link).

The team’s leading scorer and hitter among defensemen in the regular season, respectively, both sustained injuries in Sunday’s Game 1 loss. Hughes left the game briefly in the third period after getting tangled up with Carolina center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, favoring his left shoulder – the same one he injured last offseason but didn’t have surgically repaired. He returned for a pair of shifts late in the game. He recorded a minus-one rating, two shots on goal, seven shot attempts, one block, and three giveaways in 22:20 of ice time. Hughes was one of the few players who controlled play for New Jersey at 5-on-5 in the 4-1 loss, recording a Corsi share of 54.4% and an expected goals share of 58.1% (per Natural Stat Trick).

Injured on the same play was center Cody Glass, who did not return to the game after taking a heavy inadvertent slash from Devils netminder Jacob Markström as he was crossing in front of the net. Thankfully, he won’t miss time and called the play “pretty funny” to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.

Dillon’s absence from Game 2 is less surprising. The physical shutdown defender left Game 1 midway through the second period after falling awkwardly in a net-front battle with William Carrier and could not get up without assistance from Devils head athletic trainer Scott Stanhibel. He didn’t return after the apparent lower-body injury, although New Jersey hasn’t handed down a specific injury designation to either Dillon or Hughes. Dillon recorded four hits in 8:53 of ice time before leaving the game. The Devils were outshot 7-3 and outchanced 6-2 with Dillon on the ice at 5-on-5 to begin the game.

Thus, after getting decisively outplayed by the Hurricanes in Game 1, the Devils enter Game 2 without half of their regular complement of defensemen. They were already without Jonas Siegenthaler, who hasn’t played since Feb. 4 due to a lower-body injury and is not expected back until the second round at the earliest. In-season waiver claim Dennis Cholowski and 2022 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec will replace Dillon and Hughes in the lineup, according to Baugh.

Hurricanes Recall Ruslan Khazheyev

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The Hurricanes have brought up some extra goaltending depth with their postseason set to get underway on Sunday.  The team announced that they’ve recalled Ruslan Khazheyev from AHL Chicago.  He’ll serve as Carolina’s third-string option for the time being.

The 20-year-old is in his first season in North America after signing his entry-level deal last year.  Khazheyev was a fifth-round pick by the Hurricanes back in 2023, going 158th overall after a solid showing with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk of the MHL.  He spent last season with them as well before crossing the pond this year.

Khazheyev played in 20 games with the Wolves this season, posting a 3.49 GAA and a .876 SV%.  He also made one appearance with ECHL Bloomington, allowing three goals on 15 shots.

Should one of Pyotr Kochetkov or Frederik Andersen go down due to injury, it’s unlikely that Khazheyev would be pressed into action.  Instead, they’d likely promote one of Spencer Martin or Dustin Tokarski to serve as the backup, a role both had filled at times during the regular season.  For now, those two will remain as the tandem in Chicago heading into the AHL playoffs that begin next week.

11 Teams To Carry Bonus Overage Cap Penalties In 2025-26

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The end of the regular season also means the end of daily salary cap calculations across the NHL. With no more cap-related transactions left in the year, 11 teams have officially finished over the salary cap because players on entry-level or 35+ contracts earned performance bonuses that put them above the upper limit. They’ll carry bonus overage penalties in 2025-26 as a result. Those teams break down as follows, per PuckPedia:

Carolina Hurricanes: $33K – $1.076MM

Carolina’s numbers vary wildly here because of the $1.0375MM bonus rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin will incur if he wins the Conn Smythe. Their guaranteed $33K penalty comes from Logan Stankoven’s post-acquisition games-played bonuses. There’s the potential for an additional $5K penalty if rookie Juha Jaaska plays at least two playoff games. Carolina ends the year in LTIR, so they can’t afford any bonuses. They don’t have any other cap charges next year.

Dallas Stars: $368K

The Stars ended the year in LTIR, so all of Wyatt Johnston’s $319K in Schedule A bonuses and Logan Stankoven’s $49.5K games-played bonus, which they paid out before he was traded to the Hurricanes, count as penalties next year. Their total dead cap charges will total $1.801MM with another year of Ryan Suter’s buyout on the books.

Detroit Red Wings: $871K

Detroit ended the year with a comfortable $2.02MM in cap space but had $2.888MM in performance bonuses to dole out, so they’ll get hit with a six-figure penalty next year. Patrick Kane hit $1.75MM in games played bonuses this year as part of his 35+ contract, while Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper each hit multiple Schedule A bonus categories for $638K and $500K in respective bonuses. They also have a $1.056MM cap charge next season for the final year of Justin Abdelkader’s buyout, bringing their total dead cap next season to $1.927MM.

Edmonton Oilers: $150K – $250K

All of the Oilers’ penalties stem from Corey Perry’s 35+ contract after ending the season in LTIR. He’s already earned $150K in games played bonuses and could earn up to $100K in playoff bonuses – $50K if the Oilers win two rounds and Perry plays in either half of the second-round games or half of the total first and second-round games, and another $50K if they win three rounds and Perry plays in either half of the Western Conference Final games or half the total games through the WCF. That’s on top of the $2.3MM cap charge Edmonton faces from buying out Jack Campbell.

Los Angeles Kings: $213K

It’s simple here – the Kings couldn’t fit the performance bonus earned by Brandt Clarke for hitting 25 assists. That gives them $813K in dead cap next year, combined with the Mike Richards buyout.

Minnesota Wild: $1.1MM – $1.15MM

The Wild ended the year with just $36K in cap space, so virtually all of the performance bonuses earned by Marco Rossi and Brock Faber hitting their full complement of Schedule A targets ($850K and $250K, respectively) will count as a penalty. The number could increase slightly if rookie defenseman Zeev Buium plays five playoff games or wins the Conn Smythe, each landing him a $25K bonus. Minnesota’s total dead cap charges will be at least $2.767MM with Zach Parise’s and Ryan Suter’s buyouts still on the books, albeit at a drastically reduced cost from the last few years.

Montreal Canadiens: $1.728MM – $2.308MM

All of the Canadiens’ performance bonuses awarded this season will count toward their overage because they ended the year with Carey Price on long-term injured reserve to remain cap-compliant. Star rookie Lane Hutson maxed out his Schedule A bonuses for $750K, Juraj Slafkovsky earned $500K in A bonuses for finishing top-six among Montreal forwards in average time on ice and top-three in plus-minus rating, defenseman Kaiden Guhle maxed out his $420K in A bonuses, and rearguard Jayden Struble earned his $57.5K games played bonus. Their penalty will increase based on the performance bonuses rookie Ivan Demidov incurs in the postseason. He’ll earn $25K for five playoff appearances, $30K for 10, and a whopping $525K bonus if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Habs don’t have any other dead cap charges next year, but still have to contend with the final year of Price’s deal.

New Jersey Devils: $1MM

The Devils ended the season in long-term injured reserve and thus can’t afford reigning Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes’ $1MM in Schedule A bonuses. At present, it’s the only dead cap charge New Jersey will have next year.

New York Islanders: $600K – $850K

Mathew Barzal’s and Semyon Varlamov’s LTIR placements kept the Isles cap-compliant at season’s end, so the entirety of Matt Martin’s $100K in games played bonuses and Maxim Tsyplakov’s $500K in Schedule A bonuses (plus-minus and ice time). If Tsyplakov makes the NHL’s All-Rookie Team, he’ll incur an additional $250K bonus. New York doesn’t have any other dead cap charges next year.

St. Louis Blues: $2.153MM

The Blues are currently set to incur the most significant bonus overage penalty of any team next year. Most of that comes from the $2.225MM in performance bonuses awarded to veteran Ryan Suter in his 35+ contract last summer. He earned all of them, while sophomore Zachary Bolduc earned a $212.5K bonus for finishing in the top three in plus-minus rating among St. Louis forwards. Those, less the Blues’ $284K in season-ending cap space, give them a bonus overage carryover penalty of $2.153MM. Barring any buyouts this summer, that will comprise their entire dead cap hit for 2025-26.

Toronto Maple Leafs: $626K

Since they ended the season in LTIR, the performance bonuses Max Pacioretty earned for playing 37 games on his 35+ contract will count against the Leafs’ cap next year. As things stand, they could begin the year with an additional $300K in dead cap if Ryan Reaves and Matt Benning are buried in the minors as they were to end 2024-25.

The Capitals could find themselves added to this list if rookie Ryan Leonard wins the Conn Smythe. He’s owed $275K if he does, which the Caps can’t accommodate after ending the year in LTIR.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Hurricanes Reassign Scott Morrow

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The Hurricanes have assigned rookie defenseman Scott Morrow to AHL Chicago with the regular season behind them, per a team announcement. The club also sent forwards Skyler Brind’Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and defenseman Domenick Fensore down to the minors after recalling them for the final few games of the season to allow for some stars to rest.

Morrow’s demotion is notable because he wasn’t part of the foursome that Carolina recalled on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has been up with Carolina since the trade deadline and frequently slotted into the lineup down the stretch, including the final five games of the regular season. Morrow, a 2021 second-round pick, finished the year with 1-5–6 in 14 games with all of his points coming at even strength.

He and impact prospect Alexander Nikishin were slated to begin the playoffs as Carolina’s extra defensemen, but the team will instead opt to keep the more veteran Riley Stillman around in the press box after recalling him along with Brind’Amour, Fensore and Nadeau this week. The stay-at-home rearguard is less of a redundancy compared to the dynamic Nikishin, who’s likely to see his NHL debut in the playoffs after signing his entry-level contract last week.

Morrow instead gets to bolster Chicago’s blue line and play meaningful postseason minutes as the Wolves have clinched a playoff berth. The first-year pro leads Wolves defensemen in scoring with 13-26–39 in 51 games, earning an AHL All-Star game appearance ahead of trying to land an opening night roster spot in Carolina in the fall.

As for the trio heading back to Chicago, the late-season call-up was most notable for Brind’Amour. The 25-year-old son of Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour scored his first NHL goal in last night’s loss to the Senators. Nadeau, Carolina’s first-rounder in 2023, also recorded his first NHL point, an assist, on Wednesday against the Canadiens. Fensore will have to wait until his next NHL call-up to get on the scoresheet.

Alexander Nikishin Moves One Step Closer To Joining Hurricanes

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  • The Carolina Hurricanes should only be a few days away from their top defensive prospect joining the team for their postseason run. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Alexander Nikishin has officially received approval for his work visa in the United States. That leaves an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Istanbul on his to-do list before being allowed to play for the Hurricanes. In a perfect world, Carolina would likely want Nikishin to get an NHL game under his belt before the playoffs start, but that’s unlikely to be the case given that their regular season will conclude on April 17.

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