RALEIGH, N.C. – Exactly three weeks after the on-ice portion of their training camp got underway, the Carolina Hurricanes are set to kick off their regular season schedule.
Starting with 48 players, the unit has been trimmed to 23, and their six-game preseason slate is now in the rear-view.
Electing to take a conservative approach in the lead-up, the Canes arrive at the eve of their first meaningful contest with a mostly full cast, a welcome position after yellow, no-contact sweaters were almost a daily occurrence on practice days.
Now ready to begin a new campaign in hopes of an eighth consecutive Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance, and more, the group is ready to “run the first race,” as their head coach calls it.
“We’ve been waiting what feels like a long time. You get through preseason, and now it starts,” Rod Brind’Amour previewed, following Wednesday’s skate at Lenovo Center. “Everything ramps up and it’s on. We’re looking forward to game one and the journey ahead.”
When it comes to who will be on the ice Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, here are some things you should know:
- Pyotr Kochetkov missed parts of training camp due to what was called a minor injury at the time. He made his preseason debut on Saturday in Nashville, and at some point between now and then, “got nicked up” again. Given the organization’s preference to err on the side of caution in these situations, it feels incredibly likely that Frederik Andersen is in line to be the starting goaltender.
- While Brind’Amour said he wasn’t sure of Kochetkov’s status for the game, if the Russian backstop can’t go, newcomer Brandon Bussi, who was claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Sunday, would be the second option. The goalie had his first practice with the team on Wednesday. If or when he is needed, it would be his NHL debut.
- On the blue line, Brind’Amour is expecting to have all seven options available. Neither K’Andre Miller nor Jaccob Slavin played in preseason action, and Jalen Chatfield missed time on two different occasions, but all are planning to be in the lineup tomorrow.
- While the look of practices would suggest Mike Reilly is the odd man out on the back end, the staff also has a decision to make up front. With 13 healthy forwards, we’ve seen Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Mark Jankowski both take reps between Taylor Hall and Eric Robinson this week. Kotkaniemi had been sidelined for a week after taking a stick directly to the eye on September 26 in Tampa, but appears to be fully available now. As he adjusts to a tinted visor for the first time in his career, should Kotkaniemi earn the spot, it would suggest Jankowski may be sitting with Reilly upstairs. The 2025 trade deadline acquisition co-led the team in scoring after coming aboard in the spring, finishing his regular season with eight goals in the team’s last 19 games.
- When it comes to the power play units, the first group has consisted exclusively of Sebastian Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov and Shayne Gostisbehere for all of camp. The second unit included Alexander Nikishin for a period of time, but Brind’Amour has talked about wanting to ease him into the team’s systems without overloading him. Without the blossoming blueliner, the second option has featured Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, and Logan Stankoven with K’Andre Miller and Sean Walker.
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