The final cuts have been made. Monday afternoon (Oct. 7) saw the Carolina Hurricanes announce their opening night roster before the 5 pm Eastern deadline. They had to get the team cap and roster-compliant for the NHL. In the end, the team is down to 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders. That being said, who were the players who didn’t make the final cut after the initial 25-man roster was announced on Sunday? Let’s dive into the opening night roster for the Hurricanes.
Who Made the Final Cut?
After the Hurricanes trimmed down their almost 50-man training camp roster to 25, it was obvious moves needed to still be made. The team had to be cap and roster-compliant by 5 pm Eastern which means they had to get it down to the 23-player max and be under the $88 million salary cap. However, there was the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) pool to stay compliant with using the resources of that cap finagling. After the moves were done and the roster announced, the Hurricanes are at $88.774 million but are fine with $774,997 being in the LTIR pool to keep them compliant with the cap rule. The reason why they are compliant is because they placed defenseman Riley Stillman on LTIR which covers the minus-$774,997 hole that they are in. Furthermore, it helped trim down the roster to 22 players with additional moves that were made.
Related: Hurricanes Trim Roster to 25 Ahead of Regular Season
What were the additional moves? The Hurricanes also announced that forward Jesper Fast and defenseman Joakim Ryan were being placed on injured non-roster, just not LTIR like Stillman. Furthermore, they loaned forward Jackson Blake to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team cannot make any more moves until Wednesday, so things could change between now and their home opener on Friday, Oct. 11 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. A move like Blake’s could just be a paper transaction like how the Hurricanes did it with Jordan Martinook before their home opener back in 2022-23 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Per PuckPedia, this is what the projected lines/roster could look like for the Hurricanes on Friday night:
Jack Roslovic – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal – William Carrier
Brendan Lemieux – Jack Drury – Eric Robinson
Tyson Jost
Jaccob Slavin – Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov – Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere – Sean Walker
Bryce Montgomery
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
The names that mainly jumped out were Eric Robinson, Tyson Jost, and Bryce Montgomery. However, it was not a surprise with Robinson and Jost who were both signed to one-year deals and under $1 million during the free agency period. Both players saw ample amount of time on the fourth line during camp and the preseason alongside Jack Drury. The only true surprise was Montgomery who signed his entry-level contract (ELC) on Sunday, Oct. 6.
Given that Ryan and Stillman are on the injured reserve or LTIR, it makes sense that Montgomery would have made the team as their seventh defenseman, especially when you stand at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds. However, as mentioned earlier, he could be with the Wolves in the AHL by the time the weekend rolls around once the freeze ends on Wednesday.
Related: Martin’s Musings: Hurricanes Sign Brind’Amour & Montgomery to Deals
Canes fans were hoping that one of the young guns in Blake, Bradly Nadeau, or even Felix Unger-Sorum would have made the roster. While it could still be a possibility for Blake who could be seen as the first call-up, it makes sense to have the youngsters start the season with the Wolves. It does help the betterment of their development to get top-six or top-pairing minutes (Morrow) in the AHL rather than fighting for a fourth-line spot or being stuck as the seventh defenseman due to the blue line for the Hurricanes being stacked as it is. Being able to get proper minutes and learn from the head coach Cam Abbott and his staff will go a long way for them long-term.
Either way you slice it, this could be the roster rolling into the home opener on Friday night or changes will be made before then. All that matters is that regular season hockey is officially back. Come Oct. 11, speculations are over and it’s time to talk about what happens on the ice where wins and losses actually matter.
Opening Night for Hurricanes & Wolves Coming Soon
The Hurricanes’ home opener on Oct. 11 will be on national TV with it being on ESPN+/Hulu while Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy will be on the radio call per 99.9 The Fan. The game starts at 7 pm Eastern for puck drop. Regarding the Wolves, their home opener and start to the season is on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Allstate Arena versus the Milwaukee Admirals. The puck drop is at 7 pm Central and you can watch it on FloHockey, the new streaming service of the AHL.
Be sure to check out both teams over the weekend as they are setting their sights on the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup Playoffs in 2025 with their reunited affiliation. It’s going to be a fun season to watch for the Hurricanes and Wolves. Are you ready for NHL and AHL hockey in the next few days? If not, you better get ready.
