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William Carrier

Hurricanes Reassign Justin Robidas Amid Injury Updates

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The Carolina Hurricanes saw a wave of roster updates come through during Saturday morning’s practice. Notably, winger Justin Robidas was not at practice, as he’s been reassigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Robidas won’t skate in Saturday’s match against the Manitoba Moose but should be back in time for Sunday’s rematch.

Forward William Carrier also missed practice. It is unclear if he has sustained a new injury after appearing in Friday’s win over the Winnipeg Jets. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov did sustain a lower-body injury that forced him out of Friday’s game, and Saturday’s practice. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin also remained out, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff.

In better news, Ruff adds that forward Jordan Staal participated in practice despite being questionable with an illness, and center Jesperi Kotkaniemi continued to work in a non-contact jersey.

Carolina continues to face a heap of injuries despite getting Shayne Gostisbehere and K’Andre Miller back into the lineup recently. They have been forced to play hot potato with much of their lineup, routinely cycling through their lines. The Hurricanes have had six different forward lines, and 10 different defense pairings, play in at least 50 minutes of even-strength ice time this season. Their most-used forward line has been Jordan Martinook, Staal, and Carrier – a trio that could be broken up if Carrier sustained another injury. The most-used defense pairing has been Miller and Sean Walker, who reunited recently after Miller missed six games.

The Hurricanes have felt the brunt of that shuffle over November. They started the month with a 4-1-0 record, but have fallen into a back-and-forth over the last two weeks. Carolina is 4-3-2 in their last nine games, and haven’t won back-to-back games since Novmber 8th and 9th.

Injuries have forced Carolina’s healthy skaters to step up. Sophomore winger Jackson Blake ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 15 points in 24 games. Robidas was also contributing to the offense, netting one assist and a 50 percent faceoff percentage through two games in a bottom-six role.

Robidas now have three points in the first four games of his NHL career, including a pair of games he played in last season. He has been an electric scorer in the minor leagues and currently ranks third on the Wolves with 12 points in 16 games. Chicago is trying to break out of their own November slump, posting a 2-4-0 record over their last six games but winning last Wednesday’s game against the rival Rockford IceHogs by a lofty 8-4. Robidas should help the Wolves keep that offense rolling as they look for better outcomes in December.

Hurricanes To Activate Two Off IR, Recall Gavin Bayreuther From AHL

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There are plenty of injury updates from Carolina heading into their game tonight against Buffalo.  Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer relays (Twitter link) that wingers Eric Robinson and William Carrier will suit up tonight, meaning they will be activated off injured reserve.  However, the news isn’t all good as defenseman Jalen Chatfield is now out indefinitely; head coach Rod Brind’Amour is uncertain if the blueliner is dealing with a concussion after taking a hit from Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick on Thursday.  That resulted in the team announcing that blueliner Gavin Bayreuther has been recalled from AHL Chicago with Chatfield landing on injured reserve as the corresponding move.

Robinson had a breakout year last season, his first in Carolina.  He picked up 14 goals and 18 assists (both career bests) in 82 games, earning himself some much-desired job security as he signed a four-year, $6.8MM deal in advance of free agency back in June.  The 30-year-old got off to a nice start to this season as well, collecting three goals and an assist in seven outings despite his playing time dipping below 10 minutes a night.  He has missed a little more than two weeks with an upper-body injury, landing retroactively on IR ten days ago.

Carrier, meanwhile, was injured in the same game as Robinson last month, suffering a lower-body injury.  His first season with Carolina in 2024-25 was injury-riddled as he only was able to suit up in 43 games where he had 11 points and 156 hits, not a great return in the first season of a six-year deal.  This season, the 30-year-old has a goal and two assists through his seven outings in a little over 10 minutes a night of action.  With Carolina having two open roster spots following yesterday’s demotion of Bradly Nadeau to the minors, no other moves need to be made to activate Carrier and Robinson.

As for Chatfield, he has been his usual steadying presence on the back end.  In the second season of a three-year, $9MM deal, the 29-year-old has three assists and 14 blocks in his first 13 games while averaging just under 20 minutes a night.  He has once again been a big part of Carolina’s penalty kill, carrying the second-highest ATOI among their blueliners in that situation while they sit well above the league average in shorthanded success rate.  Chatfield will now miss at least a week as a result of the IR placement.

Bayreuther returned to North America for this season after spending the 2024-25 campaign in Switzerland, signing a one-year, two-way deal back in July.  He cleared waivers at the end of September and has spent the full season so far with the Wolves, tallying three goals and three assists in nine games.  Bayreuther has 122 career NHL games under his belt over parts of four seasons, the most recent of which came back in 2022-23 with Columbus.

Hurricanes Recall Charles-Alexis Legault, Place William Carrier On IR

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The Carolina Hurricanes’ defensive core continues to suffer injuries. Needing yet another blueliner to sustain a roster, the team announced they’ve recalled Charles-Alexis Legault from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Carolina placed forward William Carrier on the injured reserve, and he isn’t expected back for some time.

Legault’s recall corresponds directly to the injury sustained by Shayne Gostisbehere yesterday against the Vegas Golden Knights. Gostisbehere returned after missing the previous 10 days on the injured reserve, but skated in 7:19 of last night’s loss before exiting the contest. Team reporter Walt Ruff shared earlier that Gostisbehere suffered a midsection injury, and the team is hopeful he won’t be out long-term.

Still, that leaves Carolina without their three top defensemen for the foreseeable future. Jaccob Slavin is already on the team’s injured reserve after participating in only two games to start the year, and K’Andre Miller has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury.

Now, without Gostisbehere again, that leaves the Hurricanes with rookie Alexander Nikishin and Sean Walker as their top available pair. Both players have performed well this year, but they are not the top options needed to stay competitive, as evidenced by their performance against the Golden Knights last night.

Today marks the second call-up of Legault’s young career. He’s skated in three games for the Hurricanes already this season, going scoreless while averaging 11:53 of ice time. The former fifth-round pick spent the entire 2024-25 campaign with AHL Chicago, scoring three goals and 14 points in 63 games.

Metro Notes: Hurricanes, Rempe, Trocheck

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The Carolina Hurricanes issued several injury updates yesterday, via team reporter Walt Ruff. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated that injured defenseman K’Andre Miller is considered “more day-to-day” than out long-term, while injured forwards Eric Robinson and William Carrier “won’t be coming back anytime soon.” Miller and Carrier are managing lower-body injuries, while Robinson is dealing with an upper-body ailment. Miller last played Oct. 20 against the Vegas Golden Knights, while both Carrier and Robinson last played Oct. 23.

The Hurricanes have gotten off to an exceptional start to their 2025-26 campaign, but these injuries threaten their significant positive momentum. Carolina dropped yesterday’s contest against the Stars by a 3-2 score. The loss of the aforementioned trio of players, combined with other injuries to Shayne Gostisbehere, Jaccob Slavin, and Pyotr Kochetkov, has tested Carolina’s depth to an extreme degree very early into this season. As a result of these absences, the Hurricanes have been forced to rely on players with little NHL experience to fill roles in their lineup: call-ups Joel Nystrom, Bradly Nadeau, and Charles-Alexis Legault had just three games of NHL experience combined before the start of 2025-26.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Injured New York Rangers pivot Vincent Trocheck isn’t a candidate to return any time soon, head coach Mike Sullivan told the media (including the New York Post’s Mollie Walker) yesterday. Trocheck remains on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) with an upper-body injury, isn’t skating yet, and Sullivan directly said his return to play “isn’t imminent.” The Rangers have shifted veteran Mika Zibanejad back to his natural center position in response to Trocheck’s absence, and Zibanejad has started to heat up, scoring two goals and four points in his last three games. For the Rangers to make a serious push to gain ground in the Metropolitan Division early this season, Zibanejad, 32, will need to continue to produce and prove that he can handle some of the responsibilities left behind by Trocheck.
  • Physical forward Matt Rempe will not travel to his hometown of Calgary for the Rangers’ upcoming game as he is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Colin Stephenson. Rempe appeared to suffer the injury in the process or aftermath of fighting Ryan Reaves during the Rangers’ Oct. 23 loss to the San Jose Sharks. The 6’9″, 261-pounder had played a steady fourth-line role in all of the Rangers’ nine games so far this season, and in response to his injury, the club called up 2021 first-rounder Brennan Othmann, who himself has been the subject of recent trade buzz.

Hurricanes Recall Bradly Nadeau

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The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled forward Bradly Nadeau from the AHL. Nadeau has scored in three games straight to start the Chicago Wolves’ season, with four points total. Carolina will now reward that hot start with the second mid-season call-up of the young pro’s career. He should help supplement the lineup while wingers Eric Robinson and William Carrier are out with injury. Both veteran wingers are expected to miss an extended period, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told NHL.com’s Walt Ruff.

Nadeau has already played in three NHL games. He made his NHL debut at the tail end of the 2023-24 season, after signing with the club following the end of his freshman season at the University of Maine. Nadeau was assigned to the minor-leagues for the majority of the 2024-25 season, but made two appearances in the NHL in the final games of the season. He has recorded one assist, two blocked shots, and two hits in the Hurricanes lineup.

While he’s still searching for a spark in the NHL, Nadeau has looked unquestionably productive in the minor leagues. He has 62 points across 67 career games in the AHL. His stat line is slightly stained by a minus-19, but Nadeau’s ability to drive play and create scoring chances has nonetheless proved reliable. He’s taken on a top-line role in the Wolves’ lineup, and steadied his play with support from veteran linemate Ryan Suzuki.

Nadeau could now have his first extended chance at the NHL lineup as Carolina addresses their injuries. Carrier and Robinson have both averaged 10 minutes of ice time through seven games this season, with three and four points respectively. That depth scoring has been a core part of Carolina’s league-best start to the season, and gives Nadeau a mark to shoot for as he steps in. He should be expected to rotate through the team’s bottom-six, at least until he can play his way into a loftier role.

Metropolitan Notes: Thompson, Protas, Hamilton, Carrier, Gostisbehere

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Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson began on-ice recovery today as he nears a return from an upper-body injury, Emily Kaplan of ESPN said on today’s broadcast of Washington’s loss in Columbus (via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). He skated today along with the NHL’s new all-time goals leader, Alex Ovechkin, who stayed home to rest with the Caps’ place atop the Eastern Conference clinched. The presumptive Vezina Trophy finalist has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury and remains questionable for the beginning of Washington’s first-round playoff series against whichever team ends up in the second wild-card spot. Backup Charlie Lindgren hasn’t been particularly inspiring in his absence, posting a .866 SV% since taking over for Thompson when the latter left an April 2 loss to the Hurricanes. Lindgren was not in the crease today for the Caps’ 7-0 defeat; third-stringer Hunter Shepard was. Winger Aliaksei Protas is also expected to skate Monday for the first time since sustaining a laceration from a skate on his left foot on April 4, Kaplan said. “There is some concern about how the location of the skate cut (under skate tongue) will impact the rest of Protas’ foot, but they’re hopeful he’ll be ready for the start of the playoffs,” Gulitti relayed. The 24-year-old remains an invaluable part of the Caps’ league-best offense, erupting for a career-best 30-36–66 scoring line in 76 showings.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton continues to inch closer to a return but won’t play tomorrow against the Islanders, head coach Sheldon Keefe told the team’s Amanda Stein. Initially expected to be out until the second round of the playoffs after sustaining a lower-body injury in early March, he’s been upgraded to day-to-day. He will almost certainly be an option to begin their first-round series against the Hurricanes. He’s a key return amid a blue line missing Jonas Siegenthaler and a forward group missing star center Jack Hughes. Hamilton’s 40 points in 63 games rank seventh on the Devils and second among rearguards behind Luke Hughes’ 42.
  • The Hurricanes had winger William Carrier in the lineup against the Rangers today for the first time since he underwent lower-body surgery in January. An important depth add to their bottom six ahead of the postseason, the 30-year-old had an assist, four hits, and a plus-one rating in 10:48 of ice time in his return. They were without top backend point-producer Shayne Gostisbehere, though, who Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal relays is dealing with a lower back injury. It’s his second straight absence. The 31-year-old has 44 points in 68 showings this year, his fourth straight season above 40 points. He ranks fifth on Carolina in scoring while averaging 18:29 per game. He remains day-to-day and should be back for Game 1 against New Jersey.

Hurricanes Notes: Svechnikov, Staal, Carrier, Kotkaniemi, Robidas

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The Hurricanes are getting closer to full health at the right time. They’ve got a trio of forwards on the verge of returning to play, none more important than top-six winger Andrei Svechnikov. He participated fully in today’s practice and is tracking to return to the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres, although head coach Rod Brind’Amour wouldn’t confirm his availability one way or another (via the team’s Walt Ruff).

It’s been an extremely trying recent stretch for Svechnikov. He sustained an upper-body injury back on March 9 and missed seven games. His return only lasted three appearances until he sustained another undisclosed injury in a game against the Capitals last week. He’s missed a pair of games due to that one. The injury troubles come as Svechnikov is doling out his worst offensive performance since his rookie season. His 0.68 points per game pace is decently south of the 0.77 career average he’s set for himself over his seven seasons in the league.

He’s still one of the more important contributors on a Carolina roster that lacks a point-per-game contributor after trading Martin Nečas to the Avalanche earlier this season. Including Nečas, Svechnikov ranks fourth on the Canes with 19-26–45 in 66 showings. His 17:12 average time on ice is up slightly from last year’s 16:59, although his underlying are a tad concerning. While he’s controlling 58.7% of shot attempts at even strength, that’s on an exceptional two-way club in Carolina. He’s tracking to post a negative relative CF% for the first time in his career.

Nonetheless, they’d love to get Svechnikov back into the fold and hopefully on a hot streak entering postseason play. They’ve clinched a postseason berth and are essentially locked into second place in the Metropolitan Division with a first-round matchup against an injury-plagued Devils team, but more scoring from him is needed to make a deep run and advance to the Conference Final or further.

Elsewhere in Carolina’s forward group, captain Jordan Staal practiced ahead of tomorrow’s game and, like Svechnikov, remains questionable. He’s sat out the last four games with a lower-body injury and five of the last eight, so he’s clearly nursing something. The 6’4″ pivot remains a veritable two-way force in his 19th NHL season, posting his best offensive performance in three years while winning 53.9% of his draws, tying for fifth on the team with a +13 rating, and adding 42 blocks and 127 hits.

They’re also on the verge of getting depth winger William Carrier back in the lineup after a months-long absence. The 30-year-old was a full participant in today’s practice along with Staal and Svechnikov. He underwent lower-body surgery in late January and was ruled out indefinitely, although he never landed on injured reserve. He posted 4-5–9 in 39 games with 136 hits before exiting the lineup, averaging 11:37 per game in his first season in Carolina after signing a six-year, $12MM commitment last summer that could see him finish his career in Raleigh.

As they land some returnees, there might still be a departure from the lineup. Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi “tweaked something” in Saturday’s loss to the Bruins, Brind’Amour said, and he’s still being evaluated. It’s likely he’ll at least miss the Buffalo game after going without a point in his last six appearances. The 24-year-old has 11-20–31 in 76 games, an improvement from last year’s totals while averaging 14 minutes per game.

It stands to reason Carolina expects at least a net positive in terms of lineup influx for tomorrow’s contest. They returned rookie center Justin Robidas to AHL Chicago last night, per Ruff. The 22-year-old came up under emergency conditions late last week and recorded a point in each of his first two career NHL appearances, including Carolina’s lone goal in the loss to Boston. It was quite the initial showing from the 5’8″ centerman, who the Canes picked up in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He has 17-31–48 in 65 AHL appearances after spending all of 2023-24 on assignment to ECHL Norfolk.

Hurricanes’ William Carrier Out Long Term After Surgery

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1/24: After receiving a second opinion, Hurricanes forward William Carrier has moved forward with surgery to address his lower-body injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has shared that the forward will be out “long term” after the procedure, per Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer – at least two months, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. The team is hoping that he’ll return this season.

1/16: Hurricanes winger William Carrier is seeking a second opinion on how to proceed in his recovery from the lower-body injury that’s kept him out for nearly two weeks, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

It’s an inauspicious start to Carrier’s tenure in Carolina after he inked an eye-popping six-year, $12MM deal with heavy trade protection in free agency last summer. The 30-year-old grinder hasn’t returned to the heights of his 16-goal, 25-point campaign in 56 games with the Golden Knights in their Stanley Cup-winning 2022-23 campaign. He’s been limited to four goals and nine points through 39 appearances with the Canes, similar production to the injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign that, in part, led Vegas not to pursue re-signing him aggressively.

Regardless of whether or not he undergoes surgery to address the issue, it’s likely he’s facing another lengthy stay on the shelf. Carrier was on IR for nearly half the campaign last year with upper-body issues, so while his current problem isn’t related, it still indicates a rapidly growing proneness to injury. It’s not unsurprising for how the gritty Quebec native plays, already racking up 136 hits to lead Carolina by a huge margin with 18.01 per 60 minutes.

Before landing on the shelf, Carrier had been ridiculously effective, even if he wasn’t scoring. He’s replaced the injured Jesper Fast on the Canes’ third line alongside Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal for much of the campaign, with the trio controlling 65.8% of expected goals at even strength, per MoneyPuck.

His and Tyson Jost’s continued absence will provide increased opportunities for depth wingers like call-up Juha Jaaska, who has an assist and a plus-one rating through his first seven NHL games over the past couple of weeks.

Snapshots: Predators, Haula, Hurricanes, McCabe

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The Predators have recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from AHL Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log.  He’ll take the place of Jeremy Lauzon on the active roster who has been moved back to injured reserve.  Gravel has an assist in three games with Nashville so far this season but is likely to be in the seventh defender role for the time being.  He also has five points in 25 games with the Admirals.  Lauzon, meanwhile, just returned from injured reserve midway through last month, getting into six games before being sidelined with a lower-body injury once again.  He has one assist and 127 hits in 28 games thus far in just under 18 minutes a night of playing time.

Elsewhere from around the NHL:

  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that center Erik Haula is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury and is set to undergo further testing. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now that the veteran is going to miss some time.  It has been a rough year for Haula thus far as he has just five goals and six assists in 42 games.  Even extrapolated for a full season, his projected output would be well below the 44, 41, and 35 points Haula had in the last three years.
  • Hurricanes winger William Carrier was a late scratch from their game against Pittsburgh. The team announced (Twitter link) that he’s dealing with a lower-body injury.  The 30-year-old is in his first season in Carolina after signing a six-year deal with them over the summer and has nine points along with a team-high 136 hits in 39 games.  In a corresponding move, winger Juha Jaaska was brought back up from AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log, after being sent down on Thursday.  He made his NHL debut on Wednesday, playing 8:21 against Florida.
  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jake McCabe suffered an upper-body injury in tonight’s game against Philadelphia and won’t return. The injury occurred in a fight late in the opening period.  McCabe has been an important part of Toronto’s back end, logging over 21 minutes a night while chipping in with 11 points, 68 blocks, and 75 hits in his first 35 games this season.

Metropolitan Notes: York, Jenner, Carrier

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Flyers defenseman Cam York is entering the final year of his contract and is therefore eligible to sign a contract extension.  Speaking with reporters including Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the blueliner indicated he wasn’t worried about getting a deal done at this point knowing that eventually something will work out.  The 23-year-old potted 10 goals along with 20 assists while playing all 82 games last season.  He also notably logged 22:37 per contest, second to only Travis Sanheim.  With that in mind, it might make sense for York to wait a little while yet before signing an extension as a repeat of last year’s performance will only bolster his value heading into next summer when he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility, owed a $1.6MM qualifying offer.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While Boone Jenner has arguably been the Blue Jackets’ most reliable center in recent years, he won’t be lining up there to start the season. Instead, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch relays that the captain will instead line up on the left wing on the top line.  Jenner has been a reliable faceoff specialist over the years but with Sean Monahan being added in free agency and Adam Fantilli now fully recovered from a calf laceration that caused him to miss the second half last season, new head coach Dean Evason wants to see how Jenner fares in Johnny Gaudreau’s old spot, hoping that his forechecking will lead to some additional opportunities.
  • Hurricanes winger William Carrier is only expected to miss a couple of days with the lower-body injury that held him out of practice yesterday, relays team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Head coach Rod Brind’Amour noted that they’re merely being extra cautious with the newcomer.  Carrier signed a six-year, $12MM contract with Carolina over the summer after spending the last seven years with Vegas where he averaged three hits per game while chipping in with 99 points in 372 appearances.

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