Jalen Chatfield And Sean Walker Unlikely For Game 4
After missing Game 3 against the Florida Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes will appear to be without two key defenders for Game 4. Coach Rod Brind’Amour announced he doesn’t expect to have either Jalen Chatfield or Sean Walker, per NHL.com reporter Dan Rosen.
Both defenders remain out with undisclosed injuries. The 29-year-old Chatfield has been out since the final game of last round’s matchup against the Capitals. While Chatfield has been a full participant at practice for some time, he hasn’t been able to clear the final hurdle to return to the lineup. Chatfield averaged a career high of 18:53 of ice time per game during the regular season, and that figure has climbed to 20:24 during the playoffs. He has contributed one goal and a plus-six rating in nine playoff games thus far.
Walker, who appeared to suffer his injury in the second period of Game 2 (he didn’t return for the third), took part in Saturday’s practice but wasn’t back in the lineup for Game 3.
“I don’t know because I haven’t even been down to the medical part yet, but if they couldn’t play (Saturday), it’s probably doubtful they play,” Brind’Amour said Sunday.
With that said, it does appear the coach is holding out hope. He said he hopes he’s wrong about their availability, though that may be more a reflection of the team’s desperation down 3-0 than genuine optimism about their chances of returning.
“That’s my guess. I hope not. Maybe I’m wrong. But that one, we won’t know until (Monday) on that,” he said.
Rookies Scott Morrow and Alexander Nikishin filled in for the two veterans during Game 3, but both struggled mightily, combining for a minus-six rating. In three games this postseason, Morrow has a minus-five rating and no points while averaging just 12:04 of ice time per game. Nikiskin, who has been thrown into the fire by starting his NHL career during these playoffs, has skated in two games with a minus-four rating.
While the Hurricanes have run into the buzzsaw that is the defending champions, they may still wonder how the series might have unfolded with a healthy Chatfield and Walker, especially with their replacements being talented but inexperienced rookies.
Metropolitan Notes: Ovechkin, Chatfield, Blue Jackets, Laperriere
Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is the winner of this year’s Mark Messier Leadership Award, the league announced. First awarded in 2007, the award goes to “the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.” Ovechkin helped lead Washington to an improbable top spot in the Eastern Conference while breaking the all-time goal-scoring record on the heels of a 44-goal, 73-point campaign. Ovechkin has captained the Caps for the last 16 years and this is his first time winning the award; there has yet to be a repeat winner league-wide thus far.
More from the Metropolitan:
- It appears that Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield will miss another game as Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner is out for tonight’s third game against Florida. This will be the fourth straight game that the 29-year-old will miss due to an undisclosed injury sustained last round against Washington. Chatfield has a goal in nine games so far in the playoffs while averaging over 20 minutes a night. Scott Morrow is expected to once again take his place in the lineup.
- The Blue Jackets have a pair of prospects that they will lose the rights to if not signed by June 1st, wingers Tyler Peddle and Martin Rysavy. It appears they’ll be letting both go as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Columbus won’t sign them before the deadline. Peddle was a seventh-round pick in 2023, going 224th overall and had just 29 points in 54 games with QMJHL Saint John this season. Meanwhile, Rysavy was a seventh-rounder two years earlier, going 197th overall. He spent this season in the Czech Extraliga, posting five goals and four assists in 52 games with Liberec.
- While Ian Laperriere will no longer be coaching the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, his days with the organization aren’t numbered. Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period relays (Twitter link) that the former NHLer will remain in the organization in a different capacity. Laperriere has been with Philadelphia since 2012, spending time in player development while also coaching at the NHL and AHL levels.
Hurricanes’ Jalen Chatfield Remains Day-To-Day
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said defenseman Jalen Chatfield is progressing with his undisclosed injury but remains day-to-day and is questionable for Game 2 against the Panthers, per Kurt Dusterberg of NHL.com.
Brind’Amour noted over the weekend that he was hopeful that the 29-year-old would be ready for the Eastern Conference Final opener after missing the final game against the Capitals, but Chatfield wasn’t able to go. The last time Chatfield was able to suit up was Game 4 of the second round on May 12. While Chatfield was a full participant at Tuesday’s practice and skated today, Brind’Amour noted Chatfield has not yet been cleared to return to the lineup.
As Brind’Amour stated: “All the athletes want to play; if they’re not capable, they’re not capable. I think today he is better. I would put him more day to day now, so that’s a good sign.”
The Canes appeared to miss Chatfield’s presence in Game 1 against the Panthers, where they gave up five goals in the loss. Chatfield averaged a career high of 18:53 of ice time per game during the regular season, and that figure has climbed to 20:24 during the playoffs. He has contributed one goal and a plus-six rating in nine playoff games thus far. Rookie Scott Morrow filled in for Chatfield in Game 1 but struggled, finishing with a minus-3 rating in just 12:19 of ice time.
The 22-year-old has just 16 NHL games of experience, making the moment a lot to ask of the 2021 second-round pick. However, he has showcased success in his brief experience during the regular season, posting six points and a plus-four rating in 14 games this season. Alexander Nikishin also made his NHL debut in Game 5 against the Capitals, and gives the Canes another talented, yet inexperienced defender to consider.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Chatfield, Quapp, Devils
While some head coaching searches may soon be wrapping up, don’t expect that to be the case for the Penguins. Speaking with The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription link), GM Kyle Dubas indicated that he plans to do a second interview in-person with the final few candidates for the role in the final week of May when he returns from Sweden where he’s in charge of Canada’s entry at the Worlds. From there, the hope is to have the new hire in place by June 1st before Dubas leaves for the Draft Combine a few days later. The new coach will be taking over for Mike Sullivan, who was one of the longest-tenured bench bosses in the league before parting ways with him earlier this month.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield did not take part in practice today in advance of Tuesday’s Eastern Conference Final opener, relays Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal (Twitter link). Head coach Rod Brind’Amour noted over the weekend that he was hopeful that the 29-year-old would be ready for the opener after missing the last game against Washington with an undisclosed injury but that may be in some question now. Today, the bench boss noted that Chatfield will likely need to be a full participant in tomorrow’s game-day skate to have a shot at suiting up.
- Still with the Hurricanes, goaltending prospect Nikita Quapp has signed a one-year deal with Eispiraten Crimmitschau in Germany’s second division, per a team release. Carolina drafted the 22-year-old back in the sixth round in 2021 but he has struggled. After spending most of 2023-24 in the second division, Quapp moved up to the DEL this year but only got into nine games with Dusseldorfer where he posted a 4.08 GAA and a .870 SV%. Carolina holds Quapp’s rights through June 1st and considering his struggles and this contract, it’s fair to say they will be letting those rights go in a couple of weeks.
- James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now highlights a trio of Devils players whose trade protection decreases at the beginning of July. Center Erik Haula goes from a full no-trade clause to a six-team no-trade clause while winger Ondrej Palat and defenseman Dougie Hamilton go from a full no-trade to a 10-team no-trade (while retaining no-move rights for waiver purposes). GM Tom Fitzgerald vowed to be active this summer following an early exit in the playoffs so having a few more potential trade options could certainly help in that regard.
Metropolitan Notes: Shaw, Chatfield, Sandin, Eller
Yesterday, Flyers general manager Daniel Brière confirmed an earlier report that associate coach and briefly interim head coach Brad Shaw won’t be back with the team next season. According to Jonathan Bailey of The Hockey News, Shaw wasn’t enthused about going through the interview process a second time to remain a part of new head coach Rick Tocchet‘s staff after finishing as the runner-up to Tocchet in head coaching interviews over the past few weeks.
“He called me yesterday and said he didn’t feel like he could fully invest himself going through the [interview] process again to see if he was to be part of [Tocchet’s] staff moving forward,” Brière said.
Now with 21 years of experience as an assistant/associate and interim head coach on NHL benches, Shaw is likely going to emerge as a candidate for at least one of the league’s four remaining head coach vacancies in Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. He reportedly received interest from the Capitals and Ducks in 2023’s hiring cycle.
“We’re really appreciative of what Brad has done,” Brière said. “He’s helped a lot of our young guys on defense, especially, and he was considered.”
We have more from the Metropolitan Division:
- When the Hurricanes won Game 5 of the second round against the Capitals to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, they did so without the services of defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour is hopeful but uncertain regarding his status for the beginning of the third round, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer relays.
- On the other side of the Carolina/Washington coin, Caps defenseman Rasmus Sandin is expected to join Sweden’s blue line at the World Championship, according to Hockeynews.se’s Henrik Sjoberg. Sweden’s roster is at the 22-skater maximum, so they’ll presumably be dropping a player (likely one of defenseman Gabriel Carlsson or forward Christoffer Ehn, neither of whom has played in the tournament yet) to make room for him. The Swedes are dominating the tournament on home ice, going undefeated through six group stage games and recording three consecutive shutouts against Latvia, Slovenia, and France. Sandin previously suited up for them at the 2023 Worlds.
- Still in Washington, pending UFA center Lars Eller told Sammi Silber of The Hockey News he has every intention to keep playing next season (article link via DC Backcheck). “I’ll definitely keep playing. My body feels good,” Eller said. The 36-year-old Dane was limited to 22 points in 80 games split between the Penguins and Capitals this year, recording under 0.30 points per game for the second time in the last three years. Whether his future is in Washington, elsewhere in the NHL, or in Europe remains to be seen.
Jalen Chatfield Out For Game 5, Alexander Nikishin Making NHL Debut
The Hurricanes will be without depth defenseman Jalen Chatfield for a potential series-clinching Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury, per the team’s Walt Ruff. That means top defense prospect Alexander Nikishin will be making his NHL debut tonight after signing before the postseason.
Nikishin will debut on his natural left side on a pairing with countryman Dmitry Orlov, who Ruff relays will slide over to his offside. Orlov and the righty Chatfield have been partners all year long, so there’s no domino effect on Carolina’s other defense units.
As for Chatfield, he tweaked something near the end of Game 4 and didn’t practice yesterday. While head coach Rod Brind’Amour said yesterday he didn’t expect Chatfield to miss time, he told Canes beat reporter Adam Gold earlier today that Chatfield had been downgraded to being a game-time decision. It’s worth noting Chatfield’s gone three games without hitting the 20-minute mark after doing so in four straight. He has one goal and a plus-six rating in nine games this postseason – the latter figure is tied for the team lead.
Nikishin’s long-awaited NHL debut comes nearly five years after Carolina selected him in the third round of the 2020 draft. The 23-year-old Russian has grown into a dominant rearguard in his home country in the past few years, routinely being dubbed the best defenseman outside the NHL. Standing at 6’4″ and 216 lbs, Nikishin had somewhat of a down year in 2024-25 with a 17-29–46 scoring line in 61 games for SKA St. Petersburg but led Kontinental Hockey League defensemen in scoring the two years prior.
A dominant two-way presence, Nikishin begins the NHL phase of his career after recording 177 points and a +71 rating in 288 KHL games with SKA and Spartak Moscow. Virtually guaranteed a left-side spot next year with Orlov’s contract expiring, tonight will be an important trial run for the youngster as he settles into NHL minutes in what’s a pretty safe scenario for Carolina, up 3-1 over the Capitals with a chance at the Eastern Conference Final on the line.
Snapshots: Conn Smythe Candidates, Chatfield, Snee
With the Panthers going up three games over the Oilers in last night’s win, it’s truly safe to start talking about Conn Smythe candidates. Shayna Goldman and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic wasted no time breaking down some of the leading candidacies this morning. Should the series end without a catastrophic implosion on Florida’s part, there are three leading finalists for the playoff MVP honor: captain Aleksander Barkov, defensive stalwart Gustav Forsling and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky is trying his hardest to pull away from the pack, allowing only four goals through three Cup Final games and posting a .953 SV%. He may be going so far as to solidify a spot in the Hall of Fame, let alone a Conn Smythe, but as Goldman and LeBrun dive into, it shouldn’t demerit the elite performances from Barkov and Forsling over the last two months that are more-than-deserving of recognition.
Other notes as the weekend (and end of the season) draws near:
- The Hurricanes’ recent confirmation of an extension for defenseman Jalen Chatfield was a long time coming. Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports Friday that the team tried to engage in contract discussions midseason, but Chatfield’s camp opted to delay talks in hopes of boosting his market value down the stretch. It worked out well for the blue liner, who still takes a slight discount on what he could have likely landed elsewhere in free agency but earns a nearly 400% raise over his previous average annual value with a large portion of the deal paid upfront via signing bonuses.
- Earlier this week, the Wild announced that Mike Snee is returning to the organization as their vice president of the Minnesota Wild Foundation and community relations. Snee was one of the first people hired by the team before their inception for the 2000-01 season, working in sales and sponsorship. A longtime member of the governing board for USA Hockey, Snee has spent the last 12 years as the executive director of College Hockey, Inc., working to develop several new NCAA hockey programs as well as landing a Canadian broadcasting rights agreement for the collegiate circuit.
Hurricanes Sign Jalen Chatfield To Three-Year Extension
June 14: The team has made this signing official, with interim general manager Eric Tulsky sharing with The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette, “Jalen has been an integral part of our blue line over the last two seasons and firmly established himself as an NHL defenseman. His elite speed and tireless work ethic make him an incredibly dynamic player at both ends of the ice.”
June 13: The Hurricanes are expected to extend defenseman Jalen Chatfield, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports Thursday. He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. It’s a three-year, $9MM contract with a $3MM cap hit, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. PuckPedia has the full breakdown of the deal:
2024-25: $1MM base salary, $2.75MM signing bonus, no-move clause
2025-26: $1MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus, no-move clause
2026-27: $775K base salary, $1.475MM signing bonus, 15-team no-trade list
Chatfield joined Carolina on a two-way deal as a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2021 after getting a brief NHL shot with the Canucks the season prior. In the three years since, he’s developed into one of the better depth options in the league on a bargain-bin contract that actually carried a $762.5K cap hit below the league minimum salary this season.
The 28-year-old split his first season between the Canes and AHL Chicago but became a fixture in the lineup beginning with the 2022-23 season. He’s played 70-plus games the past two years, developing his offensive game while crushing his bottom-pairing minutes with high-end shot attempt and possession quality percentages.
With sizeable turnover expected on the Hurricanes blue line next season, Chatfield could be in line for an increase on the 14-15 minutes per game he’s averaged so far over his tenure in Raleigh. He was one of four notable pending UFAs Carolina had on defense – Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei remain without deals next season.
A speedy two-way defender, Chatfield has 14 goals, 26 assists and 40 points with a +28 rating in 184 career regular-season games while averaging 14:32 per contest. This past year with Carolina, he had a career-high eight goals and 22 points with a +15 rating in 72 games while controlling 61% of shot attempts at even strength.
If the $3MM cap hit report is accurate, the Hurricanes now have $23.87MM in projected space this offseason, per CapFriendly.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Canucks Notes: Lindholm, Chatfield, Zadorov
Elliotte Friedman reported on the Jeff Marek Show today that it doesn’t appear that the Vancouver Canucks will be able to hang on to pending unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm. Friedman referenced recent reports that the Canucks were willing to offer Lindholm a seven-year deal for $7MM per season but adds that the Canucks are reportedly looking to their next options as Lindholm’s departure becomes more of a reality.
The Canucks gave up a massive package to acquire the 29-year-old sending a first-round pick in 2024, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024, as well as two prospects and Andrei Kuzmenko to the Calgary Flames and aren’t likely to find a suitable replacement in free agency.
In other Vancouver Canucks notes:
- Rick Dhaliwal spoke today on Donnie and Dhali about Carolina Hurricanes pending free agent defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Dhaliwal said that if Chatfield reaches free agency the Canucks will have interest, however, he has also heard that the Hurricanes are pushing to re-sign him. Chatfield started his NHL career with the Canucks, dressing in 18 games during the 2020-21 season and registering one assist. He then signed with Carolina as a free agent in 2021 and has been with the team the past three seasons. Last year the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 14 assists in 72 games and averaged 15:12 of ice time per game.
- Dhaliwal also reported that all is quiet when it comes to contract negotiations between the Canucks and pending free-agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The 29-year-old was also acquired at the trade deadline and reportedly hasn’t spoke with Vancouver over the past few days. The Canucks have just over $24MM in cap space available but have pending extensions to sign in the next three seasons for Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko and will need to be careful how they allocate long-term cap space. Reports have surfaced previously that Zadorov is looking for a six-year deal at $6MM per season.
Metro Notes: Flyers, Rust, Chatfield
Earlier today, the Philadelphia Flyers announced a plethora of injuries, revealing that Rasmus Ristolainen and Jamie Drysdale would both be out week-to-week with upper-body injuries and that Travis Konecny would be out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Still holding strong in their attempt to make the playoffs, these injuries could impact the Flyers’ competitiveness moving forward over their next several games.
Not only will Philadelphia be playing without some of their regular players for the next couple of games, but it will take a potential trade chip off the board in Ristolainen. Although he does carry a relatively expensive cap hit of $5.1MM until after the 2026-27 NHL season, Ristolainen has appeared in some trade chatter over the last several weeks. Dealing with some injury concerns earlier in the season, Ristolainen has responded with one goal and four points over 31 games with the Flyers, averaging 16:41 of ice time per game.
The major concern, however, will be with Drysdale, who is building an extensive injury history in only his fourth season in the NHL. Last season, Drysdale infamously lost the entirety of the year after eight games for a shoulder injury that would require surgery and did miss two months of action earlier this season when he was still a member of the Anaheim Ducks with a lower-body injury.
Other Metro notes:
- Matt Vensel of Post-Gazette Sports is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Falling further and further out of contention, the loss of Rust for the next few weeks will certainly not help Pittsburgh rise in the standings. Potentially becoming one of the deadline’s more important sellers, losing both Rust and Jake Guentzel over the last few days may ultimately force the Penguins’ hand in their eventual deadline approach.
- Missing the team’s last four games with an upper-body injury, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield is set to return tonight according to the Hurricanes’ Editorial Content Producer, Walt Ruff. Chatfield has been solid for Carolina this season, scoring five goals and 14 points in 49 games, while holding a strong CorsiFor% of 58.4%.