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Carolina Hurricanes Assign Pyotr Kochetkov To AHL

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The Carolina Hurricanes had such little goaltending depth earlier this season that Jack LaFontaine had to be signed in the middle of his college season. Now they’ve pulled off another interesting move, assigning Pyotr Kochetkov back to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

Kochetkov had been loaned to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL for this season after signing his two-year, entry-level contract last year. He played 23 games there, recording an impressive .926 save percentage but with the recent announcement that following the Olympics the KHL will go directly into the postseason, his year was over. Torpedo missed the playoffs by just a few points, meaning Kochetkov can now come to North America and get his AHL career underway.

That KHL decision could have interesting impacts on NHL and AHL teams, as players are available a little earlier than expected. The 22-year-old Kotchetkov has a very high ceiling as a second-round pick from 2019 and could make an impact in the Hurricanes organization right away. At the very worst, he adds another interesting netminder to the system as the team looks to go on a long playoff run–Chicago, that is. The Wolves are 27-9-7 on the year, in first place in the AHL’s Central Division and eight points ahead of the second-place Manitoba Moose. A Calder Cup contender, they’ve received another reinforcement just in time for the stretch run.

Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away.  Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We begin our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes have made the playoffs in three straight seasons, being eliminated in each of the first three rounds over that span meaning there’s one more hurdle to reach – the Stanley Cup Final.  While they’re in a tight Metropolitan Division, they sit at the top of it heading into Saturday’s action with multiple games in hand so they’re poised to make a splash.  And with several veterans slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer and a situation where they probably won’t be able to keep them all, this may be their best opportunity to push their chips to the table and try to make a serious run.

Record

32-10-3, 1st in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

No base cap room, $1.801MM in full-season space with LTIR, 0/3 retention slots used, 49/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: CAR 2nd, CHI 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, ANA 6th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, CBJ 7th
2023: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th

Trade Chips

It’s hard to see Carolina willingly taking a regular off of their roster unless that’s required to match salaries which could put someone like Ian Cole ($2.9MM, pending UFA) on the radar, particularly if they make a move to upgrade their third pairing.  Beyond that, their prospects are where the trade options will be.

One player that stands out as a potential trade option is center Ryan Suzuki.  The 20-year-old was a first-rounder (28th overall) back in 2019 but hasn’t had much luck since then, particularly when it comes to staying healthy; he has been limited to just ten games this season with AHL Chicago.  His final major junior season was lost last year when the OHL didn’t play and while he got into 26 games with the Wolves, it was in a limited role.  In the meantime, others are getting to play ahead of him in the minors and his spot on the organizational depth chart has likely dipped.  Still, with recent first-round pedigree, Suzuki is someone that teams will likely be asking about.

Jack Drury is one of those prospects that has slipped ahead of Suzuki on their depth chart.  He didn’t look out of place in a two-game stint with Carolina this season and he’s one of the leading scorers for their farm team.  He’s someone that could very well push for a roster spot next season in an effort to save a bit of cap space but these are precisely the types of players that teams looking to sell but not get into an expedited rebuild will be looking for.

Defenseman Joey Keane has fared a little better this season, the last one of his entry-level contract.  He’s someone that’s going to be eligible for waivers next year and could be in the mix for a seventh defender spot in Carolina as a result.  But there should be some teams that would be interested in getting him into their system now for evaluating, either with their own farm team or at the NHL level down the stretch.

Other Potential Trade Chips: D Anttoni Honka (unsigned draft pick), F Andrew Poturalski ($750K, UFA – AHL’s leading scorer), F Patrik Puistola (unsigned draft pick)

Team Needs

1) Middle-Six Two-Way Winger: Carolina finds themselves pretty deep down the middle but they’re not quite as strong on the wing.  Another player like Jesper Fast that can play up and down the lineup while providing some defensive value would certainly help give them a deeper lineup with more versatility.

2) Third Pairing Upgrade: Ethan Bear hasn’t been able to have the impact Carolina hoped when they picked him up from Edmonton while Cole is a role player, a shutdown, stay-at-home piece.  The same can be said for Brendan Smith.  That’s not a bad group of fifth to seventh defenders behind their strong top four but it can be improved upon.

Teuvo Teravainen Listed As Game-Time Decision For Monday

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  • While the Hurricanes were hoping that winger Teuvo Teravainen would be good to go following the All-Star break, it appears his lingering lower-body injury hasn’t healed as well as the team hoped. Instead, as Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer notes (Twitter link), Teravainen is listed as a game-time decision for their game against Toronto on Monday.  He has missed the last two games due to the injury.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi Enters COVID-19 Protocol

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Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, the team announced on Twitter.

Kotkaniemi becomes the only Hurricanes player in COVID protocol. With the NHL scaling back testing protocol and slowly loosening COVID restrictions, there’s almost surely going to be a decrease in the frequency of players entering the protocol.

After signing a one-year, $6MM offer sheet to join the Hurricanes organization this summer, Kotkaniemi is on pace for a career season despite a limited role and limits. Most often seeing usage in the team’s bottom-six, the 21-year-old Kotkaniemi has nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 42 games, on pace to eclipse his career-high of 34 points set during his rookie campaign with the Montreal Canadiens in 2018-19.

It’s a tough break for the Hurricanes, who’ll likely lose a valuable depth piece for a few games. Assuming Kotkaniemi misses games within the normal five-day quarantine period, he’ll miss the team’s next three contests and could potentially return on February 12th in St. Paul against the Minnesota Wild.

The news comes as the team’s general manager Don Waddell said yesterday that the team hopes to sign a long-term contract extension. Kotkaniemi is a restricted free agent this offseason.

Hurricanes Hoping To Sign Kotkaniemi To Long-Term Deal

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Last summer, the Carolina Hurricanes became the first team to successfully acquire a player through an offer sheet since the Edmonton Oilers snatched Dustin Penner in 2007. They forfeited two picks–including a first-round selection in 2022–to the Montreal Canadiens as compensation for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who signed just a one-year deal with the Hurricanes.

Kotkaniemi, 21, has 20 points in 42 games so far in Carolina but is playing just over 12 minutes a night. While that certainly isn’t what you want from someone carrying a $6.1MM cap hit, the team was always going to have to pay a premium in order for the offer sheet to work in the first place.

Right from the moment it was signed, speculation began about what the Hurricanes could do for Kotkaniemi’s next contract. He’ll be a restricted free agent after the season ends and is eligible for arbitration. To even get that far though the Hurricanes also owe him a qualifying offer that matches his $6.1MM cap hit, something that was the cause of much consternation in the summer.

Before they even get to the issue of a qualifying offer though, the Hurricanes are working to avoid that problem altogether. In Pierre LeBrun’s latest for The Athletic, he spoke to general manager Don Waddell, who admitted that he’s already had preliminary contract talks with Kotkaniemi’s camp. The team is hoping to sign a long-term deal and spoke to agent Markus Lehto last week.

A long-term extension could potentially fix any overpayment relative to Kotkaniemi’s production. Sure, he has leverage right now with that qualifying offer and arbitration in his pocket, but that extra money could be spread out to get a lower cap hit, one that gives the young forward time to develop and become a core piece of what they’re doing in Carolina. It’s unlikely to provide a ton of surplus value given the Hurricanes’ position, but it also will bring that number down to a more reasonable amount. As Waddell put it, the team will “find a solution to make everyone happy.”

Hurricanes Plan To Restart Vincent Trocheck Extension Talks Soon

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The Hurricanes plan to revisit extension talks with pending UFA center Vincent Trocheck soon, GM Don Waddell told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link).  The two sides discussed a new deal earlier in the season but tabled those talks when there was no progress being made.  The 28-year-old has done a nice job rebuilding his value since coming over in a trade from Florida in 2020.  At that time, his role and production have dipped but with Carolina, he has become an important part of their top six while becoming particularly sharp at the faceoff dot.  He’s playing at close to a 60-point pace this season and knowing how high the demand for quality centers can be in free agency, his camp can certainly make a case for an increase on his current $4.75MM AAV.  However, that type of contract could be tough to fit into Carolina’s long-term cap structure.

NHL Announces Several Key Events For 2022-23

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman took the podium today in Las Vegas to give an update on several topics, including some key events that will take place in 2022-23.

The 2023 NHL Winter Classic will feature the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park and will mark the fifth outdoor game for the team. The Bruins’ opponent has not yet been revealed, or the official date at this point. Fenway held the 2010 Winter Classic, where the Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime.

Next year’s All-Star festivities will be held in Sunrise, Florida, and will be hosted by the Florida Panthers for the first time since 2003. The event will take place over February 3-4, 2023 with the All-Star Skills Competition on Friday, as it is this year. The Panthers, one of the league’s most exciting teams, will likely have several participants again next year.

The Stadium Series will head to Raleigh, North Carolina, where the Carolina Hurricanes will host an outdoor game at Carter-Finley Stadium, home of the NC State Wolfpack. This will be the very first outdoor game for the Hurricanes, though their opponent has also not been announced yet. The Stadium Series date has also not yet been officially set for 2023.

On the upcoming 2022 draft that is currently scheduled for Montreal, Bettman explained that if Quebec’s current COVID restrictions have not changed by that point, the league may decide to take it somewhere else. He hopes to have not only the team representatives and players in person, but also fans in the stands.

The league will also return to Europe next season in the Global Series, with games scheduled for Germany, Switzerland, Finland, and the Czech Republic, though details on those games were not revealed.

Teuvo Teravainen “Doubtful” For Carolina Hurricanes Sunday

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Carolina Hurricanes right wing Teuvo Teravainen is doubtful to play for the team Sunday against the San Jose Sharks, according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour.

Teravainen missed the team’s game yesterday, a 2-1 win versus New Jersey, as well with an undisclosed injury. It was just his second missed game of the 2021-22 season.

The 27-year-old Finnish forward is fourth on the team in points with 32, potting 11 goals and 21 assists while averaging 17:58 per game. He’s most commonly seen top-line duties with Sebastian Aho at center this year.

In his absence, Jordan Martinook, who Brind’Amour has used sparingly this season (just 25 games played), will continue to play alongside Aho and rookie Seth Jarvis.

Brind’Amour said that there’s a possibility Teravainen may take warmups, so even if he doesn’t return today, it won’t be long before he’s back in the lineup.

Carolina Hurricanes Extend Jalen Chatfield

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The Carolina Hurricanes have done a little offseason business ahead of time, signing minor league defenseman Jalen Chatfield to a two-year contract extension. The deal is two-way in 2022-23, paying Chatfield $750K at the NHL level, $250K at the AHL level and includes a $300K minor league guarantee. In 2023-24, it is a one-way contract worth $775K. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a statement:

From the moment camp began, he’s played the Hurricane way. Jalen earned this two-year extension, and we know he will continue to bolster our blue line.

Chatfield, 25, has appeared in seven games for the Hurricanes this season but spent most of his time in the AHL, recording four goals and seven points in 21 games for the Chicago Wolves. Undrafted, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2017 and spent three seasons with the Utica Comets. In 2020-21, he made his NHL debut by skating in 18 games with the Canucks, registering a single point.

While he doesn’t figure to play a ton at the NHL level, Chatfield represents strong depth for the Hurricanes organization and can continue to lead with the Wolves. He cleared waivers without a problem at the beginning of October and now, with this two-year extension in hand, will likely clear them the next time the Hurricanes need to sneak him through.

Despite being just 25, Chatfield would have qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer. He’s now avoided RFA status altogether, as he’ll be a UFA when this new deal expires in 2024.

Martin Necas, Jordan Martinook Enter COVID Protocol

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Jan 20: The Hurricanes have now placed Jordan Martinook in the protocol, removing another forward from the mix for a few days. Martinook played a little less than 13 minutes on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, recording his seventh point of the season.

Jan 17: After wowing the crowd with an impressive goal on his birthday this weekend, Martin Necas will have to enter isolation. The Carolina Hurricanes forward has been placed in the league’s COVID protocol, just 40 minutes after the team released a video celebrating his 100th NHL point.

Necas, 23, has registered those 100 points in just 158 career games, including 21 in 33 this season. Like most of the Hurricanes these days, strong possession numbers have resulted in good offensive results for the young forward, despite seeing limited time on the powerplay as part of the second unit.

Luckily, the Hurricanes play only twice this week. Games tomorrow and Friday are likely out of the question for Necas if he tested positive for coronavirus, but there would be a chance he’s eligible to return on Saturday. Even if it is three games he misses, the Hurricanes are a strong enough group that they have in-house replacements for his minutes.

Team reporter Walt Ruff tweets that Nino Niederreiter has moved into Necas’ spot on the second line at practice today, with Derek Stepan jumping in on the fourth line. Jaccob Slavin, who was in the protocol the last few days, has joined the group.

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