Sometimes the hockey gods can be cruel, especially when an injury occurs during the last game of the regular season before the playoffs. That unfortunately happened for the Carolina Hurricanes as forward Jesper Fast suffered a neck injury as they faced the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio in Game 82 of the 2023-24 season. He went on to miss the 2024 Playoffs and was seen wearing a neck brace for most of the offseason until photos of Sebastian Aho’s wedding were posted and he was out of it. It seemed like a possible good sign of not missing much time for the upcoming 2024-25 season. However, that was not the case.
On Aug. 29, the Hurricanes announced that Fast would miss the entire season after having neck surgery earlier in the month. What does that mean for the team as they have another spot to fill for this season? What impact does that leave with not having the 32-year-old Swedish forward in the lineup?
The Impact of Fast Out of Lineup
During the exit interviews back in May, Fast let his disappointment of missing the playoffs be known, “It was worst-case scenario. Just when the fun is about to start, you’re sitting on the sideline. You just want to help your team and be part of it… It’s definitely one of the toughest periods in my career.” It means even more now that he will miss the entire 2024-25 season recovering from surgery. He was set to make $2.4 million in the last year of his two-year deal. This is a huge blow for the Hurricanes as Fast became known over the last four seasons in Carolina as a shutdown forward on head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s most trusted line.
Related: Hurricanes’ Jesper Fast Will Miss 2024-25 After Neck Surgery
Since joining the Hurricanes back in 2020-21, he has been on the third line with Jordan Staal as the written-down in permanent marker right-winger. While the left wing spot saw guys like Nino Niederrieter and now Jordan Martinook, having him on that line made it one of the best shutdown forward lines in the league. While they were still able to produce some offense, they were a defensive specialty unit. Fast is a great asset that will be very difficult to replace in the lineup. The depth chart does have Jack Roslovic, Eric Robinson, and Brendan Lemieux, but none of those guys can bring the two-way impact that Fast can have for the team. When looking back on last season, he had some of the best analytical possession numbers in the NHL. He not only led the team but the entire NHL with a Corsi-for percentage of 63.3 among players with 10 or more games played.
The Hurricanes felt the impact of not having Fast in the playoffs after the injury. While defending is what the team is known for, the scoring seemed to fluctuate from good to bad in almost every game. Carolina over the past few seasons has been known to be a deep team that can find scoring anywhere, however, that was not the case. While Fast doesn’t have a huge impact on the scoresheet every night, he has 27 points over 80 playoff games in his career. Furthermore, with his two-way style that fits the Brind’Amour system well, he takes a lot of the defensive responsibilities away from the top players so that they can focus on scoring more. That being said, where are the Hurricanes going to find a replacement on the roster or even in the system for Fast’s absence?
Related: The Growth of Jesper Fast
Could we see Bradly Nadeau, Jackson Blake, or even Felix Unger-Sörum make a jump to the NHL sooner? Or could we see the Hurricanes make a free-agency move despite the lack of options left? The only possibilities are 25-year-old Kailer Yamamoto (16 points in 59 games) or maybe 37-year-old Blake Wheeler (21 points in 54 games). Other than that, they might need to look at a left winger who can play the right side unless they look for potential trades. Either way, the Hurricanes have some decisions to make when it comes to the roster with Fast going on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) this season. Moving him to LTIR will open up $2.4 million in cap space to make some moves. That being said, is there a chance for him to come back for the 2025-26 season?
Run It Back in 2025-26
While Fast will miss this season, there is a good chance the Hurricanes will re-sign him once he is cleared to play hockey again. It would make sense if you’re the Hurricanes to run it back with him for the 2025-26 season. For the right price, maybe around $1.5 to $2 million, the team should be more than happy to bring him back. He knows the system really well after spending the past four seasons in Raleigh. Plus, he’s probably their best defensive forward outside of Staal so it would be ideal to have him locked in on the third line again.
We at The Hockey Writers wish a safe recovery for Fast after getting his surgery. Hopefully, it goes well and if it all works out, we will see him back in a Hurricanes jersey next season.
