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Cam Ward

Morning Notes: MacArthur, Jagr, Darling

April 30, 2017 at 9:06 am CDT | by Seth Lawrence Leave a Comment

Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur is day-to-day following an injury sustained in the second period of Game 2 versus the New York Rangers. MacArthur took a rather routine, if tough, hit from New York captain Ryan McDonagh. MacArthur appears to have gotten his hands up to absorb some of the high body check, but with MacArthur’s recent history, another concussion is always the fear. MacArthur missed the bulk of this and last season (8 games combined) to lingering concussion symptoms, and would likely have been a finalist for the Masterton had he not been on the same squad as goalie Craig Anderson. The 32 year-old left winger had dealt with quality-of-life issues and was forced to even contemplate retirement. Although coach Guy Boucher did not express major concern, Senators fans will certainly be holding their breath in hopes that nothing serious was sustained. As Boucher said, “it’s something he had last game and he aggravated today” – whatever it was, he had already played through once. It’s difficult to see a coach taking chances with concussion symptoms in this day and age, with this player – even in the playoffs. Whether he returns for Game 3 or at all this series is up in the air.

  • As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes organization will attempt to sign Scott Darling to a contract as soon as they are able. The Hurricanes took a bit of a gamble in acquiring an impending UFA for a 3rd-round draft pick. Certainly they have the inside track with regard to signing the goaltender, but there is every possibility he could choose to test the market. His phenomenal season as the backup in Chicago would certainly attract a few suitors, and by heading to July 1st, he only improves his leverage. Carolina was already in a pickle as to which goaltender they would protect. If Darling signs before June 18th, the team would expose both Cam Ward and Eddie Lack in the expansion draft, which could be quite financially beneficial. If they cannot sign him before that date, they could choose to leave Darling unprotected. It’s unlikely that Vegas would opt to choose a UFA who is seemingly holding out (considering they would have a limited negotiation period), but he might be one of the few UFAs that would be intriguing enough for them to roll the dice.
  • Jaromir Jagr’s agent is expected to meet with Florida Panthers management in hopes of negotiating a new contract. The 45 year-old future Hall of Famer has played for 8 separate franchises, but has spent his last 3 seasons in the sunshine state. Dale Tallon, newly re-instated, has nothing but praise for the tough, creative winger. This season, however, Jagr showed signs of slowing down, literally and figuratively. He posted a career low 16 goals and personally substandard 46 points. The totals were still good for 4th on the team, behind youngsters Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov, and Jonathan Marchessault. Jagr has repeatedly expressed his desire to keep playing until his body fails him, even proclaiming the goal of playing until the age of 60. Jagr will likely be able to find a fit for next season in Florida if his salary demands aren’t too excessive.

Carolina Hurricanes| Dale Tallon| Expansion| Florida Panthers| Guy Boucher| Injury| New York Rangers| Ottawa Senators Aleksander Barkov| Cam Ward| Clarke MacArthur| Craig Anderson| Eddie Lack| Hall of Fame| Jaromir Jagr| Jonathan Marchessault| Ryan McDonagh| Scott Darling| Vincent Trocheck

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Scott Darling Trade Reactions

April 29, 2017 at 11:15 am CDT | by Glen Miller 1 Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes hooked up yesterday for a rare April trade, with pending UFA goaltender Scott Darling departing the Windy City in return for a third-round draft pick in the 2017 entry draft. The Hawks get the third-rounder originally acquired by Carolina at the trade deadline from Ottawa in exchange for veteran winger Viktor Stalberg. The Canes, meanwhile, bring in Darling, who played well as Corey Crawford’s understudy and was likely going to depart Chicago as a free agent to pursue a starting job elsewhere. Now it appears he’ll have that opportunity in Carolina, presuming he agrees to sign with the team rather than test the open market, of course.

On the surface this deal certainly wouldn’t qualify as a blockbuster, but all one has to do is look north to Edmonton to see what can happen when a quality backup goalie is given a chance to be a #1. Cam Talbot, previously Henrik Lundqvist’s #2 in New York, has developed into a quality starter for the Oilers and has so far guided his team to a surprising 2 – 0 lead over Anaheim in their Western Conference semifinal match. Talbot also led NHL netminders this season in several categories, including games played, wins and shots against. While there is no guarantee Darling will follow Talbot’s career trajectory, the latter’s success is evidence that deals like this can sometimes pay off.

Here’s a rundown of reactions from around the league:

  • Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times likes the deal from both perspectives, arguing that the Hawks got solid value for a player they had no room to re-sign while the Hurricanes add a potential long term starter between the pipes. Lazerus does, however, opine that the move, albeit inevitable, leaves the club perilously thin in goal. Beyond Crawford, Chicago has no goaltender in the organization with NHL experience, though Jeff Glass is around to meet the team’s expansion draft requirement of exposing one goalie under contract for 2017-18. The scribe also adds that Chicago gave no thought to extending Darling while attempting to move Crawford. Lazerus suspects Darling could get close to $4MM on the open market but the potential cap savings evidently wasn’t compelling enough to cause Chicago to reconsider their goaltending situation.
  • Adam Gretz of NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk writes that Carolina’s acquisition of Darling is “worth the risk,” borrowing a quote from Hurricanes GM Ron Francis. As Gretz notes, Carolina has long received substandard play between the pipes and it was more of the same in 2016-17. Cam Ward and Eddie Lack combined for a S% of just 0.901, good for just 26th in the league. In fact, Carolina has fared no better than 25th in that category in any of the previous five seasons. For a team looking to break an eight year playoff drought, improved play in net would go a long way to improve their postseason chances in 2017-18. Gretz also points out that the Hurricanes boast an impressive amount of 2017 draft capital, with their own first-rounder, three seconds and two thirds even after acquiring Darling’s rights. As a result, the team can afford to take this gamble given their enviable entry draft wealth.
  • Luke DeCock of The News & Observer is satisfied to at least see Carolina attempt to make changes in goal, even if the team fails to extend Darling, after what he describes as “two unsatisfying years of the Cam Ward/Eddie Lack tandem.” According to DeCock, a third-round pick may be a substantial price to pay for just two months of exclusive negotiating rights but considering Carolina still has six choices in the first three rounds and 10 overall in 2017, it’s a reasonable cost assuming the Hurricanes can lock the 28-year-old goalie to a long term deal. The scribe feels Darling is just entering his prime and has the potential to solve the team’s longstanding issues between the pipes. DeCock believes the deal also means Carolina already has an agreement in place or feels confident in their ability to consummate one with the Vegas Golden Knights that would result in one of Ward or Lack being selected in the expansion draft. The duo accounts for a combined $6MM cap charge and with Darling expected to command around $4MM annually, a budget team like Carolina simply cannot afford to keep all three in the organization. Ultimately, DeCock feels entering the 2017-18 campaign with the Ward/Lack duo would have been “utter folly,” and considers any change “an improvement.”

Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Edmonton Oilers| Expansion| RFA| Vegas Golden Knights Cam Talbot| Cam Ward| Corey Crawford| Eddie Lack| Henrik Lundqvist| Scott Darling

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Hurricanes Acquire Scott Darling From Blackhawks

April 28, 2017 at 6:57 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

Scott Darling was expected to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career this summer, but that may not be happening after all. The Carolina Hurricanes announced this evening that they have acquired the goalie from the Chicago Blackhawks. In exchange, the Blackhawks will receive the Ottawa Senator’s 2017 third-round pick, originally acquired by the ’Canes at the Trade Deadline for forward Viktor Stalberg. 

Following this trade, Carolina now holds the exclusive right to sign Darling prior to the beginning of free agency on July 1st. The Vegas Golden Knights will have a 48-hour window to speak with Darling prior to the Expansion Draft on June 21st, but may only sign Darling if they then select him in the Expansion Draft. However, giving up a third-round pick for two months of exclusive talks with Darling seems to indicate that the Hurricanes are intent on signing the 28-year-old. That could mean that they sign Darling prior to June 21st and protect him in the draft or they could instead agree orally on a deal and use their one slot to protect another goalie, either longtime starter Cam Ward or 2015 off-season trade addition Eddie Lack. Darling greatly outperformed both as the backup in Chicago this season and the Hurricanes may not care if either is selected; they could simply protect Darling regardless of having a deal in place.

In a career-high 32 appearances in 2016-17, Darling was 18-5-5 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.38 goals against average. That performance was good enough for the sixth-best save percentage and the eleventh-best goals against average in the entire NHL. Although he is 28 years old, Darling has little wear on the tires and, if he continues to play this well with a greater workload, could be the Hurricanes starting goalie for quite a few years.

Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Expansion| Free Agency| Newsstand| Vegas Golden Knights Cam Ward| Eddie Lack| Scott Darling

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Snapshots: China, Kitchener, Fazio

March 31, 2017 at 11:13 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After it was announced earlier this month that the NHL would be holding two preseason games in China next season, many linked that to the upcoming Beijing Olympics in 2022. Growing the game prior to sending NHL players to one of the biggest sporting events in the world seemed prudent. In his latest column, John Shannon of Sportsnet walks us through why growing the game in China doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the Olympics and instead is more because of the “virgin market” the country presents.

What’s different and noteworthy about this venture in China is that the Chinese want the NHL there, and not just because the 2022 Olympics will be in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping has apparently developed a passion for hockey and as a result, 3,000 hockey arenas are to be built in the country.

Shannon goes on to note that several teams in the league already have agreements with companies and leagues in China, including Toronto who apparently have 6000 kids playing Maple Leafs-branded hockey each week. Though it’s just preseason next year, perhaps China will be the next destination for the SAP NHL Global Series. In 2017, the NHL will be headed to Stockholm for two games between the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators.

  • The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL have a new boss, and it’s a name familiar to hockey fans across North America. Mike McKenzie will take over as GM of the junior franchise after Murray Hiebert has transitioned into the Director of Hockey Operations role. McKenzie is the son of TSN Insider Bob McKenzie, a long-time face of hockey in print and television in Canada and the United States. The Rangers are currently down 3-1 in their OHL playoff series against the Owen Sound Attack.
  • The Charlotte Checkers (affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes) have signed Justin Fazio to an amateur tryout now that his Sarnia Sting have been eliminated from the OHL playoffs. The Sting were swept out of the first round by the powerhouse Erie Otters. The undrafted goaltender will turn 20 in just over a month, and will replace Tom McCollum on the roster as he deals with personal issues. The Checkers have been down their starter Alex Nedeljkovic while he backs up Cam Ward in Carolina after Eddie Lack’s recent injury. Fazio had an .896 save percentage for the Sting this season.

Carolina Hurricanes| Colorado Avalanche| Injury| OHL| Olympics| Ottawa Senators| Snapshots| Toronto Maple Leafs Alex Nedeljkovic| Bob McKenzie| Cam Ward| Eddie Lack

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Eddie Lack Released From Hospital; Hurricanes Recall Nedeljkovic

March 28, 2017 at 9:21 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After a frightening on-ice collision with Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou, Eddie Lack lay motionless for almost ten minutes as paramedics loaded him onto a stretcher and took him to hospital. Though he gave a reassuring thumbs up to the crowd as he was being taken away, Carolina Hurricanes fans were still holding their breath. Late last night, Lack tweeted out what everyone was hoping for:

Thanks for all thoughts and prayers everything looks alright and I’ll be able to go home tonight! Thanks for thinking of me.

The team has called up Alex Nedeljkovic in his stead on emergency conditions from the ECHL. The 21-year old goaltender actually made his NHL debut earlier this year, and has spent much of the season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Drafted in the second round in 2014, Nedeljkovic is just starting to mature as a goaltender will need several years of seasoning in the minor league before really making a mark at the higher levels.

With the club taking on Detroit again tonight, in the second of back-to-back matchups due to a rescheduled game, Cam Ward is expected to get the start. The Red Wings will be on their third game in three nights, an exceptional situation in today’s NHL.

AHL| CHL| Carolina Hurricanes| Detroit Red Wings| ECHL Alex Nedeljkovic| Andreas Athanasiou| Cam Ward| Eddie Lack

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Carolina Hurricanes Recall Eddie Lack From Conditioning Stint

January 29, 2017 at 12:49 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The last time Eddie Lack suited up for the Carolina Hurricanes, it was still two weeks before Thanksgiving and the season was barely underway. After two games with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, he’s back in Raleigh and ready to help the team in their quest for the playoffs. Lack was concussed back in November and has been on injured reserve while the team had a carousel of netminders back up Cam Ward.

He’s back now, and hoping to get back to the level he showed in 2014-15 with the Vancouver Canucks. The Hurricanes gave up a third and seventh round selection for Lack two years ago, hoping that he could grow into at least a part-time starter with Ward. Instead, he regressed last season to a .901 save percentage and was off to an even worse start before going down with the concussion.

In his two starts with Charlotte, he allowed just three goals on 62 shots (an impressive .952 save percentage) and hopes to carry that momentum up to the NHL. The Hurricanes could use it, as they currently sit seven points back of a playoff spot and fading fast. Mired in a five-game losing skid, the team will need to really turn it around in the second half if they want to pose any threat to Philadelphia, Toronto and the rest of the Wild Card chasing teams. Carolina will take on those Flyers on Tuesday in a game that could really define their season’s next chapter.

AHL| Carolina Hurricanes| Minnesota Wild| NHL| Philadelphia Flyers| Vancouver Canucks Cam Ward| Eddie Lack

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Minor Transactions: 1/27/2017

January 27, 2017 at 5:15 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

As is customary over the NHL’s All-Star weekend, many teams have begun the day with sending waivers-exempt players down to the minors for some salary cap savings over the next few days. No team has been as enthusiastic to move some bodies as the New Jersey Devils, who announced that nearly half of their defensive corps will take a short trip to Albany to visit the AHL Devils. Joining the recently demoted Yohann Auvitu this weekend will be Steve Santini, Seth Helgeson, and Karl Stollery. Although the trio has only played in a combined 26 games in 2016-17, Santini and Stollery have formed the bottom pair for the Devils of late with Auvitu, Andy Greene, and John Moore sidelined with injuries. Helgeson has generally been the seventh defenseman this season, spending most games in the press box, but getting to see the ice in five contests. The 29-year-old journeyman Stollery has played in just eight games, but is already having the best season of his NHL career, recording his first big-league points and playing about 16 minutes per night.The rookie Santini has shown promise so far in the first half, skating in 13 games and scoring two goals and three assists while playing a sound defensive game as well. Expect Santini and at least one of Stollery and Helgeson to be back up in New Jersey after a brief break.

Elsewhere in minor moves:

  • Another Metropolitan team has moved a majority of one position down to the AHL, but it should come as welcome news to the fans. The Carolina Hurricanes announced that, after a long hiatus dealing with concussion symptoms, goalie Eddie Lack has been activated from the injured reserve and has been assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for a rehab stint. With Cam Ward having played in 41 of 48 games for the ’Canes, including 22 of the last 24, he, the organization, and the fans will be happy to have Lack back in the fold as soon as possible. Joining him in the minors will be his recent replacement, veteran Michael Leighton, whose demotion could be more of the permanent variety this time around. However, Leighton, who is the AHL’s all-time leading goalie in games played, will at least get to participate in the AHL All-Star Game upon his return.
  • The Washington Capitals have reassigned forward Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears of the AHL for the time being. Unlike his last call-up to the Caps, Stephenson got to see some game action during this last trip. Though the young center was held scoreless and is still looking for his first NHL point through 11 games, Stephenson played confidently in the past two contests and has earned another promotion in the near future.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have again returned forward Markus Hannikainen to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The big Finnish winger, playing in just his second season in North America, scored his first NHL goal in the Jackets’ 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday, his only game action on this trip to Columbus.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Casey Nelson has been assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Nelson has done his best to help Buffalo out with their rash of blue line injuries this season, but has struggled to make much of a difference in nine scoreless games.
  • After his recent NHL debut and first career goal, the Arizona Coyotes’ Christian Fischer gets to continue his highlight-reel week by heading to the AHL All-Star Game. The Coyotes announced his demotion, but more than anything the move allows the AHL to honor the league’s top rookie in the first half of the season before he likely heads back to the NHL for the second half.
  • In addition to placing Michael Bournival and Gabriel Dumont on waivers, the Tampa Bay Lightning have demoted forward Erik Condra to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, which has become common this season. The bottom-six groupings are set to change drastically following the All-Star break.
  • The Ottawa Senators have activated Andrew Hammond from the injured reserve, and in a corresponding move and have sent down Chris Driedger to the Binghampton Senators of the AHL. However, this only partially helps the Sens’ logjam in net. Mike Condon has taken over as the starter with Hammond out and Craig Anderson on leave since early December, but with both soon back in the fold, Ottawa will still be carrying three goalies. Expect another move sooner rather than later.
  • The San Jose Sharks are using All-Star weekend to get a whole group of guys some play time. The team announced that Barclay Goodrow, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, and Tim Heed have all be reassigned to the AHL Barracuda and will join the team in Michigan tonight for a game against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • After just recalling Ivan Barbashev to replace the injured Kyle Brodziak, the St. Louis Blues have returns the AHL All-Star to the Chicago Wolves for this weekend. Expect he, or fellow All-Star Kenny Agostino, or possibly both, to be right back with the Blue after the break.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled goalie Anton Khudobin from the Providence Bruins and reassigned rookie keeper Zane McIntyre to the AHL. While McIntyre’s demotion was expected, as he has been the best goalie in the AHL this year and a highlight of the AHL All-Star Game, the subsequent recall of Khudobin could signal that the Bruins are ready to return to the veteran as their backup to begin the second half of the season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets returned Brian Strait to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, one day after recalling the six-year veteran defenseman from the minors, the team announced via Twitter. Strait was a healthy scratch last night as the Jets took a 5-3 decision from Chicago. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound blue liner has yet to see action in the NHL this season but has appeared in 182 regular season contests over parts of six seasons with the Pittsburgh and New York Islanders organizations.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to flip-flop backup goalies, sending Joonas Korpisalo to Cleveland of the AHL and recalling Anton Forsberg from the same affiliate. The team announced the corresponding transactions via Twitter. Forsberg has made just one appearance this season for Columbus, allowing four goals on 27 shots in a 5-3 loss to Carolina. Korpisalo has won two of his three starts and has appeared in four games overall.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Carter Rowney back to the AHL after just a day with the big club. The forward came up last night with Evgeni Malkin out, but didn’t make it into the game against the Boston Bruins. Rowney will need to wait for his next shot with the big club.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have signed some depth between the pipes, inking ECHL netminder Ryan Faragher to a one-year deal. The 26-year old Faragher has been in their system since 2014, but wasn’t under a pro-deal until now. He’ll earn $575K if he should ever make it to the NHL (which he most likely will not, unless something drastic happens in Anaheim) and $50K in the AHL.

AHL| Boston Bruins| Buffalo Sabres| Carolina Hurricanes| Columbus Blue Jackets| NHL| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| Ottawa Senators| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| San Jose Sharks| St. Louis Blues| Tampa Bay Lightning| Transactions| Utah Mammoth| Waivers| Washington Capitals| Winnipeg Jets Andrew Hammond| Andy Greene| Anton Forsberg| Anton Khudobin| Cam Ward| Chandler Stephenson| Craig Anderson| Eddie Lack| Erik Condra| Evgeni Malkin| John Moore| Joonas Korpisalo| Kyle Brodziak| Markus Hannikainen| Michael Leighton| Mike Condon| Salary Cap

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Hurricanes Recall Alex Nedeljkovic

January 16, 2017 at 7:51 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes’ backup goalie carousel continues to go ’round and ’round. While Eddie Lack remains sidelined, the ’Canes have relied heavily on starter Cam Ward, who has now started 14 straight games. While Ward has performed admirably, with a .915 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average thus far in 2016-17, the long-time Carolina keeper will need a rest eventually. He didn’t get one from Daniel Altshuller, who was called up early in January and then sent back down the next day, nor has he been relieved at all by veteran Michael Leighton, who has been the backup since. The team has announced today that they’ll move on to a third option, demoting Leighton and promoting top goalie prospect Alex Nedeljkovic. 

Nedeljkovic, the Hurricanes’ 2014 second-round pick, was once seen as the future in net in Carolina. The Ohio native made a name for himself leading up to his draft year with a .924 SV% and 2.70 GAA combined over his first two junior seasons with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers, as well as sub-2.00 GAA’s with short stints with the U.S. National Development Team and Team USA at the U-18 World Juniors in 2013-14. However, the young keeper’s career has been in somewhat of a tailspin ever since. Nedeljkovic struggled to return to form for the Whalers in 2014-15, posting a 3.13 GAA in 55 games. He then split the 2015-16 season between two new OHL teams, the Flint Firebirds and Niagara Ice Dogs, but was unable to get back to his pre-draft numbers with either of those squads too. The lone bright spot was a fantastic performance for Team USA at the World Juniors, an unreal .943 SV% and 1.66 GAA in nine games, that came seemingly out of the blue. In this, his first pro season, Nedeljkovic has spent time in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades, where he has played well, but has also played the majority of the early campaign with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, where his performance has been far from encouraging. In 18 appearances, Nedeljkovic has been abysmal at the AHL level. He has an .884 SV% and 3.30 GAA, which has somehow actually been better than Altshuller, but has been a disappointment for the organization.

With this call-up, perhaps the Hurricanes are hoping that Nedeljkovic will shine in the spotlight. His career seems to be one of a player that thrives under pressure, with his best performances coming in his draft year and on the international stage. Ward needs to take a game off sooner rather than later, and Carolina can benefit more from letting Nedeljkovic have his first NHL shot than giving long-in-the-tooth Leighton the start. However, he may be thrown into the fire, as the Hurricanes upcoming slate is vicious. They face the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road next, host the Pittsburgh Penguins, go to Coumbus again, and then head to Washington to take on the Capitals. The young goalie will need some major luck if he makes his debut in any of those contests.

Carolina Hurricanes Cam Ward

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Minor Transactions: 1/4/2016

January 4, 2017 at 11:00 am CDT | by Glen Miller Leave a Comment

A day after calling up Daniel Altshuller from Charlotte of the AHL, the Carolina Hurricanes have returned the goaltender to the Checkers, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Meanwhile, the club has recalled veteran net minder Michael Leighton from their top minor league affiliate to serve as the team’s back-up between the pipes behind starter Cam Ward.

Altshuller did not see action in last night’s 3 – 1 loss to Carolina and has yet to make his NHL debut. The 22-year-old was selected in the third-round of the 2012 draft, 69th overall, by the Hurricanes and has appeared in 33 contests across the last two seasons with Charlotte, posting a record of 11 – 12 – 5.

Leighton, 35, has seen action in three games with Carolina this season, starting two, and has a 2 – 1 – 0 record with a GAA of 3.53 and a Save % of 0.875. He has appeared in 109 games over parts of 10 NHL seasons, spending time in the Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia and Hurricanes organizations during that time. He famously backstopped the Flyers to a surprising berth in the 2009-10 Stanley Cup Final, ultimately losing to the Blackhawks in six games.

  • The Florida Panthers have loaned blue liner Dylan McIlrath to the Springfield Thunderbirds on a conditioning assignment, the team announced on their website. McIlrath, a first-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2010, has appeared in four games with the Panthers since joining the team after being acquired from New York in a November trade for fellow defenseman Steven Kampfer and a seventh-round pick in 2018. The hulking defender has tallied a single goal and has 14 penalty minutes on the season, while averaging just 9:39 of ice time per game.
  • Yanni Gourde was reassigned by the Tampa Bay Lightning to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, tweets Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. The 25-year-old pivot made two appearances this season, failing to register a point while seeing about nine minutes of action per night. The Lightning welcomed veteran forward Ryan Callahan back into the lineup last night and his return allowed the team enough roster flexibility to send Gourde to the minors.
  • In a procedural move necessitated by the activation of goaltender Michal Neuvirth from IR, the Philadelphia Flyers have placed blue liner Mark Streit on LTIR, according to CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio. Streit last played on December 11th and is expected to be out until sometime later this month due to a shoulder injury. By placing the veteran defender on LTIR, the Flyers are temporarily able to clear his $5.25MM cap hit from their ledger, thus allowing for the activation of Neuvirth. Had the transaction not been made, Philadelphia would have been over the salary cap by around $682K.

AHL| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Florida Panthers| Injury| NHL| New York Rangers| Philadelphia Flyers| Tampa Bay Lightning| Transactions Cam Ward| Dylan McIlrath| Mark Streit| Michal Neuvirth| Ryan Callahan| Salary Cap| Steven Kampfer| Yanni Gourde

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Hurricanes Sign Equipment Manager To Serve As Emergency Back-up Goalie

December 31, 2016 at 9:15 pm CDT | by Glen Miller 1 Comment

In what is shaping up as the year of the emergency goaltender, the Carolina Hurricanes have become the latest team to extend a PTO to an inactive player to ensure the have two healthy netminders for tonight’s game. Unlike Chicago, who earlier this season famously inked Eric Semborski to a PTO an hour before a game in Philadelphia, the Canes didn’t have to search too hard to find their emergency fill-in. Jorge Alves, Carolina’s equipment manager, is suiting up this evening to back up starter Cam Ward with Eddie Lack battling an illness and unable to go tonight.

Apparently Alves is no stranger to taking the ice with Carolina. According to the team’s official Twitter account, he often practices with the club. Even though the Hurricanes are utilizing Alves in a different role tonight, the team isn’t allowing him a break from his normal responsibilities. He painted his own goalie mask while a fellow equipment manager drew the caricatures.

The team’s Twitter account is having some fun with the event. They’ve posted several pictures of Alves performing his normal duties, including sharpening skate blades and taping stick blades. They’ve also created the hash tag “#HipHipJorge” which was trending in Raleigh earlier this evening.

Alves actually does have professional playing experience, appearing in seven ECHL league games over parts of the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. That would seem to give him a slight edge should the Hurricanes have the need to go to their back-up at some point this evening.

CHL| Carolina Hurricanes| ECHL Cam Ward| Eddie Lack

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