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Bradly Nadeau

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.

Transactions Notes: Hurricanes, Jones, Carrick, Bjarnason, Copponi

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Having already clinched the second playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes had the opportunity to rest a few players for tomorrow night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Keeping that in mind, the Hurricanes announced they’ve recalled forwards Skyler Brind’Amour and Bradly Nadeau and defensemen Domenick Fensore and Riley Stillman from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to fill in for the resting players.

Brind’Amour’s recall is significant for a few reasons. He’ll make his NHL debut tomorrow night against the Canadiens and will be the first NHL player to be coached by his father at the top level since Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry was briefly coached by his father, Dave Lowry, for 54 games in the 2021-22 NHL season.

Meanwhile, Nadeau and Fensore (who will also debut tomorrow night) are two of Carolina’s top prospects already playing in North America. Nadeau led the Wolves in scoring this season, managing 30 goals and 56 points in 63 games, while Fensore scored nine goals and 32 points in 66 contests.

Other transactions from around the league:

  • According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled defenseman Caleb Jones from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, on an emergency basis. Although he won’t be filling in for a defenseman, Jones’s recall is likely in response to Quinton Byfield sustaining an injury in last night’s contest against the Edmonton Oilers. Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Byfield, leading to his injury.
  • In another emergency recall, the Oilers have promoted defenseman Connor Carrick to the NHL level. Carrick’s recall could be due to the five defensemen injured on the Oilers’ blue line or because of the expected suspension looming for Nurse. The 31-year-old defenseman has scored 17 goals and 39 points in 60 games for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors this year.
  • Per the AHL transactions page and publicized by Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned goaltender prospect Carson Bjarnason to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Bjarnason was the fourth netminder taken off the board in the 2023 NHL Draft as the 51st overall pick and recently produced a 22-15-3 record in 40 games with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings with a .913 SV% and 2.93 GAA.
  • In another move by the Oilers organization, their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield announced they’ve signed forward Matt Copponi to an amateur tryout agreement for the rest of the 2024-25 AHL season. Copponi, drafted by Edmonton with the 216th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, recently lost the 2025 NCAA National Championship with Boston University. Still, he was an effective secondary scorer for the Terriers’ program, putting up eight goals and 24 points in 40 contests this season.

Metropolitan Notes: Holmström, Martin, Flyers, Nadeau

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At long last, Islanders forward Simon Holmström appears ready to push for a top-six role. Head coach Patrick Roy thinks so, at least, he told The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner.

Holmström, the Isles’ 2019 first-round pick, has established himself as a full-time NHLer over the past two seasons. But he’s been used almost exclusively as a bottom-six option at even strength with some fringe penalty-killing usage as well.

He began to flash some extended offensive upside last season, recording 15 goals and 25 points in 75 games. Those aren’t top-six totals on a playoff team, nor was Holmström ever drafted to be a true game-breaker on the scoresheet, but he’s showing the “compete level” necessary to flash his puck skills more often and fit better in a complementary role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, Roy said.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Expect Matt Martin’s professional tryout with the Isles to last past when opening night rosters are due on Oct. 7, Rosner and The Hockey News’ Kai Russell write. Players can remain with a team’s practice group, just not game action, on PTOs up until the trade deadline. The Bruins took advantage of this tactic last season, keeping Danton Heinen around on his PTO for almost a month into the season before they created the cap space necessary to sign him to a contract. The Islanders, which currently have exactly $0 in cap space with an open roster spot (PuckPedia), may need to do the same if they want to bring the 35-year-old back for his 14th season on Long Island.
  • Early line rushes in camp suggest Flyers Calder Trophy candidate Matvei Michkov will start his first NHL season in a second-line role at right wing alongside Tyson Foerster and Morgan Frost, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes. Meanwhile, Noah Cates may fall victim to the press box early on in the season after finishing ninth in Calder voting and 15th in Selke Trophy voting just two seasons ago. The 25-year-old has had a continually diminishing impact as the Flyers have built out the rest of their forward corps, seeing his ATOI drop from 17:46 in his rookie season to 13:48 last season.
  • Seth Jarvis’ pathway to the NHL offers hope for Hurricanes winger Bradly Nadeau and his chances of cracking the opening night roster, opines Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer. Both first-round picks, Jarvis cracked Carolina’s roster as a 19-year-old in his second season after being drafted, skipping the AHL and landing a full-time role in the NHL directly out of juniors. Nadeau has faced older competition, recording 46 points in 37 NCAA games last season for the University of Maine before signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in Carolina’s final game of the regular season.

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Montgomery, Nadeau, Daws

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The Rangers’ defense core from last season is largely returning, minus Erik Gustafsson, who departed for the Red Wings in free agency. But the big stars and supporting cast are largely back, even down to seventh defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. All that likely means more opportunity for the younger Zachary Jones, who’s spent the last few seasons in a fringe role. But as Peter Baugh of The Athletic writes, that lack of major moves will mean defense takes the top spot on the Rangers’ trade deadline shopping list.

New York’s group of defenders was good enough to get them to another President’s Trophy last season and deep into the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost to the eventual champion Panthers. But it will rely more on youth next season, asking more out of Jones and especially Braden Schneider. Schneider is expected to assume top-four duties on the right side, with captain Jacob Trouba declining into a third-pairing role.

“The type of defenseman Drury pursues could depend on how the team looks through the first half,” Baugh wrote. “If Jones settles in nicely, the Rangers probably could look more at shutdown candidates. If Trouba and Lindgren both rebound from up-and-down 2023-24s, the front office could look to someone more offensive-minded.”

The Blue Jackets’ Ivan Provorov and the Kraken’s William Borgen and Adam Larsson are among some preliminary targets should the Rangers look to pick up a rental blue-liner in March, Baugh opines.

There’s more from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Hurricanes defense prospect Bryce Montgomery is staying in the organization on a two-way AHL/ECHL deal with the Chicago Wolves next season, the team announced yesterday. Montgomery, 21, was a sixth-round pick of the team in 2021 but has yet to sign his entry-level contract. They have until June 1, 2025, to sign him before his exclusive draft rights expire. Montgomery spent last season with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, with 14 points and a +4 rating in 42 games.
  • Sticking with Carolina, 2023 first-round pick Bradly Nadeau is fully intent on making the NHL roster out of camp in his first full professional season, he told NHL.com’s Kurt Dusterberg. Nadeau, 19, was drafted out of the British Columbia Hockey League’s Penticton Vees and jumped to NCAA hockey for 2023-24, lighting up the collegiate circuit with 46 points in 37 games for Maine as a freshman. That performance made him a one-and-done player, and he signed his entry-level contract with Carolina to close out last season. “The jump from Penticton (of the BCHL) to the NCAA is honestly probably a bigger jump than what he is going to do next,” Hurricanes assistant general manager Darren Yorke told Dusterberg. “No disrespect to the league he played in previously, but that’s a huge jump.” He could be an impact piece to watch with multiple open spots in Carolina’s forward group.
  • The Devils yesterday re-upped RFA netminder Nico Daws on a two-year contract, which carries a two-way structure in 2024-25 before converting to a one-way deal in 2025-26. Ryan Novozinsky of NJ Advance Media writes that indicates a clear succession plan at backup with veteran Jake Allen entering the final season of his contract. Daws will likely start this season on assignment to AHL Utica, but the 23-year-old should be ready for full-time backup duties behind Jacob Markstrom in 2025-26.

Hurricanes Sign Bradly Nadeau To Entry-Level Deal

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The Hurricanes have signed 2023 first-round pick Bradly Nadeau to a three-year, entry-level contract, GM Don Waddell announced today. The contract begins immediately, allowing him to join the team and potentially make his NHL debut down the stretch.

Nadeau’s contract pays him a $855K base salary each season plus a $95K signing bonus, which works out to the maximum ELC cap hit of $950K. When in the minors, he’ll earn a salary of $82.5K.

The 18-year-old turns pro much earlier than expected after a strong freshman season at the University of Maine. Last year’s 30th overall pick led or tied for the lead on the Black Bears in every notable stat, notching 19 goals, 27 assists, 46 points, and a +20 rating in 37 games.

Nadeau’s recruitment out of the British Columbia Hockey League’s Penticton Vees was instrumental in helping the Maine program overcome a years-long stretch of mediocrity. They advanced to the Hockey East semifinals and earned a bid to the national tournament for the first time since 2012. He was named to Hockey East’s year-end Second All-Star Team and was the Black Bears’ nominee for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate player nationwide.

The victor of back-to-back BCHL championships with Penticton in 2022 and 2023, Nadeau was the highest-drafted player last year who did not play in a major junior, collegiate, or professional league. The now-independent BCHL is a tier below the main Canadian junior circuit, the CHL. Teams hadn’t used a first-round pick on a player selected directly out of the BCHL since the Avalanche took Alex Newhook 16th overall in 2019.

His quick rise and subsequent breakout with Maine has him positioned as the Hurricanes’ top forward prospect and the second-best overall behind Russian defenseman Alexander Nikishin, posits The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Their third-ranked prospect, blue-liner Scott Morrow, inked his ELC last week and immediately joined the NHL roster, although he’s yet to debut.

Size isn’t his biggest advantage at 5’10” and 172 lbs, but his incredibly accurate and powerful shot gives him a top-six ceiling in the majors. He boasts a rather well-rounded offensive game and is nearly as good a passer as he is a finisher. While his straight-line speed isn’t the fastest, his agility and edgework have made up for it at the collegiate and junior levels.

It’s unlikely Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour will opt to thrust the New Brunswick native into playoff action, but he’s eligible for postseason play if needed. Along with Morrow, Nadeau will likely make his NHL debut over Carolina’s five remaining regular-season games.

Nadeau’s signing age is technically 19, so his entry-level contract is eligible to slide once. Since playing more than 10 NHL games this season isn’t possible, his ELC will defer to 2024-25. It’ll carry a slightly reduced cap hit, too, as his initial $95K signing bonus will be paid out this season. As such, the deal won’t expire until 2027, at which point he’ll be an RFA with five years of team control remaining.

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