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Chicago Wolves To Play As An Independent AHL Team

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Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News is reporting that the Chicago Wolves have e-mailed agents to let them know that the club is planning to end its affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of this season and operate as an independent organization without an NHL affiliate. They will become the first AHL independent organization since 1994-95.

In an e-mail that was obtained by The Hockey News Wolves GM Wendell Young reportedly let NHL teams know that Chicago would be open to receiving NHL players on loan. Young was also quoted in an article from The Athletic as saying this about the club’s relationship with the Hurricanes, “some organizations are development-only, but we think if we have development and win playoff games, guys learn how to win, which you’re trying to do all the time. That’s changed. It’s time to go independent and follow our own philosophy.”

Stoller tweeted today that he doesn’t see this as a surprise and that he thinks this is what Chicago has always wanted. It is hard to argue with Stoller’s thinking, given what Young had to say in the media. Stoller added that he doesn’t think any NHL team would sign an affiliation agreement with the Wolves.

The news today gives Chicago a lot of flexibility heading into next season, but it also makes Young’s job as general manager a whole lot more difficult. He will no longer have an NHL club providing players to the Wolves, which will require him to sign a lot more players to AHL contracts. The Wolves will also still be required to follow the AHL’s development roster rule which states that 13 of 18 skaters must have played 260 games or less of pro hockey.

Latest On Teuvo Teravainen

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  • Carolina Hurricanes star forward Teuvo Teravainen remains out of the lineup for tonight’s matchup against the Ottawa Senators, marking the fourth straight game he has missed. The 28-year-old Finn has undoubtedly had a down season by his standards (just 12 goals and 36 points in 63 games played) but with both Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov out for the season, he’ll need to get back to full health and shoulder a greater offensive workload in order for the Hurricanes to stand the best chance of making a deep playoff run.

Teuvo Teravainen To Miss Second Straight Game

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  • Teuvo Teravainen was ruled out of the Carolina Hurricanes game against the Montreal Canadiens tonight, per a team release. The Finnish winger is a key part of the Hurricanes attack, especially with fellow wingers Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty out for the season with injury. The team announced that Teravainen is out with an illness, so although this is his second consecutive game missed, it should not turn into a long term absence which is great news for the Hurricanes who are trying to hold off the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Teuvo Teravainen Out With Illness

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  • Carolina Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen will not play tonight, the team announced via Twitter. The 28 year old is not having his typical production, as he has scored 12 goals and 36 points in 63 games. The skilled Finnish forward is often closer to a point-per-game pace and with Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov out long term, the Hurricanes need a healthy and productive Teravainen as the playoffs approach. Luckily, he is out with an illness which means he should not miss a lot of time.

Carolina Hurricanes Reassign Pyotr Kochetkov

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The Carolina Hurricanes are returning to a Frederik Andersen–Antti Raanta tandem, with the latter coming back from his latest injury in the next few days. The team has reassigned Pyotr Kochetkov to the AHL today after some strong performances in recent weeks.

Kochetkov, 23, has played in 24 games for the Hurricanes this season, effectively making a three-way split of the Carolina playing time. Andersen has logged the most with 29, while veteran Raanta has appeared in 23 games. Among the three, the young Kotchetkov has the best save percentage at .909, and more complex metrics support his strong play.

That will make for some interesting decisions come playoff time, especially if Raanta struggles at all down the stretch. The 33-year-old has never been able to stay healthy for long, and has a .907 save percentage on the year. That has resulted in just two regulation losses because of how strong Carolina’s depth is at other positions, but it doesn’t lend itself to much confidence when the season is on the line.

There is still some inconsistency in Kochetkov’s game, but he showed again over the weekend that he can play at a high level. Facing 44 shots against the Toronto Maple Leafs (including a season-high 15 from Auston Matthews), the young netminder allowed just three goals to secure the win. With Andersen and Raanta both scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the summer, and Kochetkov already signed to a four-year, $8MM extension, his time is coming in Carolina.

Latest On Ville Koivunen, Tuukka Tieksola

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The AHL’s Chicago Wolves brought two players in from Europe today, Hurricanes prospects Tuukka Tieksola and Ville Koivunen, according to a team announcement. Tieksola, 21, has already played 40 games for the Wolves this season, scoring 15 points. He was loaned back to Karpat in Liiga in February to help with their playoff push, but now after their elimination from Liiga’s playoffs, he’s back in North America. The 2019 fourth-rounder had five points in 11 games on his loan.

Koivunen, 19, is now put in a position to make his North American professional debut. The 2021 second-round pick has spent most of this season with Karpat and has scored a highly impressive 12 goals and 28 points in 52 games. By allowing him to get some games under his belt in Chicago, the Hurricanes organization is giving Koivunen a head start on getting the positive qualities of his game to translate to North American ice surfaces. While the Wolves have struggled immensely in their post-Calder Cup Championship season, adding two promising Finns to their lineup could spark a more energetic finish to their campaign.

Jalen Chatfield Ready To Return After Absence

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  • Walt Ruff of NHL.com reports Jalen Chatfield is back as a full participant for the Carolina Hurricanes. The right defenseman was skating on the third pairing with Shayne Gostisbehere with a regular jersey on instead of the no-contact jersey he had been using. Chatfield has not played since March 7, but head coach Rob Brind’Amour says he hopes Chatfield will be ready to step back into the lineup either when the Hurricanes take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night or the Flyers on Saturday.

Andrei Svechnikov Moved To LTIR

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  • As expected, the Hurricanes have placed winger Andrei Svechnikov on LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The 22-year-old is out for the season is set to undergo season-ending knee surgery on Thursday.  The placement adds Svechnikov’s $7.75MM AAV to Carolina’s LTIR pool, one that went into the day with less than $850K in space, or enough for one AHL recall.  With Svechnikov on LTIR, affording recalls shouldn’t be an issue for them for the rest of the season.

Andrei Svechnikov To Undergo Knee Surgery

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The Carolina Hurricanes will have to try to win the Stanley Cup without Andrei Svechnikov. The team has officially announced that Svechnikov will undergo season-ending knee surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ACL. His months-long recovery will keep him out for the playoffs.

General manager Don Waddell released the following statement:

After further consultation with global experts in this field, it has been determined that the best course of action for Andrei’s future is to have this surgery, and to have it done by our team orthopedist, Dr. Marty Isbell. We’re confident that Andrei will make a full recovery.

It is brutal news for a Hurricanes team that had already lost Max Pacioretty for the playoffs but still looked like a legitimate contender. The 22-year-old Svechnikov is a difference-maker for them, coming off his first 30-goal season and sitting at 55 points through 64 games this season.

One of the true power forwards in the game, he mixes skill, physicality, and puck protection to drive play for the Hurricanes, elevating his linemates by giving them more room to maneuver. Svechnikov’s 140 hits lead Carolina, as do his 18 even-strength goals and 205 shots on net.

In what has become a gauntlet in the Eastern Conference, the Hurricanes must now rely on the rest of their forward group to step up. Jesse Puljujarvi, acquired at the deadline, could receive an opportunity to play higher in the lineup and establish himself as a key member moving forward.

More responsibility could also be given back to Teuvo Teravainen, amid his worst season in years. The 28-year-old has just ten goals and 33 points on the year after scoring at least 63 points in each of his last four full seasons. In Sunday’s game without Svechnikov, Teravainen logged nearly 19 minutes, his tenth-highest of the year.

There is certainly enough talent to fill out an imposing lineup sheet, but losing Svechnikov is a serious blow. The team is running out of time with this core group, as free agency looms for several key players in the next few years.

Metropolitan Notes: Svechnikov, Flyers, Kulikov

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced some tough injury news with regards to Andrei Svechnikov. The Russian winger is ruled out indefinitely with a knee injury. The 22-year-old winger is one of the Hurricanes best players, having scored 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games this season. The Hurricanes are currently tied for first place in the Metropolitan Division with the New Jersey Devils.

It sounds like Svechnikov’s injury could be a long-term one. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the team is worried it could be a torn ACL which would rule Svechnikov out for the season. The player and the team are seeking out a second opinion and hoping for a more positive outcome. With Max Pacioretty already out for the season with an achilles injury, the Hurricanes are already missing a star winger. Losing Svechnikov as well would put a lot of pressure on the rest of their roster to find consistent playoff scoring.

  • Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic reports Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is sick and will miss tonight’s game against the Vegan Golden Knights. Backup Felix Sandstrom will start in Hart’s absence, which fortunately sounds like a short term one. O’Connor also mentioned Sean Couturier is skating in a non-contact jersey. Couturier has missed the entire season following back surgery and appears to be inching closer to full health. Head Coach John Tortorella said he would rather the star center just focus on being ready for next year’s training camp but if Couturier is cleared to play they will have a discussion about his future.
  • Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop reports the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their trade deadline acquisitions when they take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight. Dmitry Kulikov left Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury and did not join the team at practice this morning. Head Coach Mike Sullivan said after practice that Kulikov is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

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