The Carolina Hurricanes are officially into the first weekend of their 2024 training camp. 46 players descended onto the triangle as 41 skaters and five goalies will spend the next few weeks gearing up for the 2024-25 season. Early on, there have been some interesting defensive pairings with some new faces (one returning), the status of what to expect from the prospects, and unfortunate early camp injuries. Talk about a busy and story-filled first weekend of camp for the Hurricanes. Let’s dive into the first-ever edition of Hurricanes’ 3 Up, 3 Down.
Plus One: Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker Already Working on Chemistry
Over the offseason, the Hurricanes had to address the turnover on the roster, especially on the blue line with Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce leaving for new places to call home. General manager Eric Tulsky and the front office went into free agency looking to bring in quality talent to replace the talent leaving the confines of Raleigh. In the end, they did exactly that because it was not long before Sean Walker‘s name was linked, and he officially signed to the team for $3.6 million per year for the next five seasons. Later that afternoon on July 1, Shayne Gostisbehere was officially announced for making his return to the Canes on a three-year, $9.6 million deal of his own. Early on in camp, the duo have been paired together as the third defensive pairing and are already working on their chemistry.
When asked about being paired up for the first couple of days while finding familiarity early on, Gostisbehere stated, “We were lucky enough that, since I played in Philly and (Walker) played in Philly, we had some mutual friends and we actually met at a wedding this summer. It’s great, he’s a righty, I’m a lefty, I feel like we’re kind of the same player in the sense that we’re pretty offensive and we can skate pretty well. I think Walks is a heck of a player, it’ll be a pleasure to play with him and I think we’ll use each other very wisely.”
Walker echoed those comments when asked about being paired with another newcomer to the Hurricanes, “We’ve been paired up together these first couple of days, so just working through it, having that trust together and just buying into the game plan is going to really help us be successful. I think bringing in Shayne and I – they just want us to play our games. They don’t want us to change our identity, just be the players we can be out there, stick to our strong assets and buy into the game plan and I think we’ll be successful.”
Related: Hurricanes Navigate Chaotic Day 1 of Free Agency 2024
While it is exciting to have Gostisbehere and Walker on the team, they have some huge holes to fill when replacing Skjei and Pesce. However, it’s already clear that Ghost (Gostisbehere) will be manning the top power play unit as expected after having 10 goals and 56 points in 81 games last season for the Red Wings. Walker could be used on the penalty kill after having some defensive upside to his game while playing for the Flyers and Colorado Avalanche last season. While they still are new, sort of for one of them, these two will be fun to watch this upcoming season.
Minus One: Early Injuries Sideline Morrow and Carrier
While we are still in the early stages of training camp, the last thing you want to see is injuries no matter when or how they occurred. After the first day of bag skating, it seemed that William Carrier, another new addition to the team, was laboring. He did miss the Saturday, Sept. 21 practice with Rod Brind’amour providing an update on Carrier missing time, “He’ll probably be out a couple of days, I don’t anticipate it being very long. This time of year you’re being really cautious on everything. Nothing serious.”
While it is good news that it’s nothing serious, you hate to see guys missing time, especially when they are slotted to play in the team’s top nine. Another player missing action is prospect defenseman Scott Morrow who didn’t practice for the second day in a row. He left practice early but we still do not have an update on his undisclosed injury. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious, but you hate to see it for a young guy going into his first full season as a pro.
Plus Two: Noel Gunler Shows Out at Rookie Showcase
Coming into the Rookie Showcase, everyone had their eyes on the big names like Bradly Nadeau, Jackson Blake, Felix Unger-Sörum, etc. While it is fair to do so, however, there were some names they should not overlook over the three games during the four-day tournament. In the end, one name stood out in particular. His name is Noel Gunler.
Gunler, the Hurricanes’ 2020 second-round pick was looking to start fresh after only playing 24 games in the SM-Liiga (Finland) in 2023-24. He is coming into training camp looking to play a full season for the first time since 2021-22. What helped his confidence for the start of camp is that he was unofficially tied for points at the Rookie Showcase (five). Gunler is 100% healthy and confident after a weekend in Nashville, and ready to continue his case in Raleigh with the team.
He stated when asked about his opportunity after this past offseason, “[The past health issues] are something that I’ve moved on from and I’m just trying to learn from it. I just want to enjoy being back playing,” he said with a smile, after wrapping up a successful Rookie Showcase.
Related: 3 Under-the-Rader Hurricanes Prospects to Watch at Rookie Showcase
Gunler made his presence felt and it was noticed by the Hurricanes’ front office, especially associate general manager Darren Yorke. “The biggest thing for him, and he showed it this weekend, is that he needs to be hard to play against every single game. His ability to get in on the forecheck and recover pucks was impressive. Him being harder to play against will allow him to have more opportunities offensively because of that strong forechecking ability.”
While he may not be high on the depth chart like Nadeau, Blake, etc. Gunler has made his case known and should be someone fans keep tabs on as the 2024-25 season starts in the next few weeks. Whether he starts in Carolina or Chicago with the Wolves, he will be fun to watch.
Minus Two: Possibility of Prospects Making Opening Night Roster Is Slim
Despite the hype surrounding the young, high-end prospects that the Hurricanes have, fans might have to pump the breaks on one or more of them making the opening night roster on Oct. 11 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. After practice on Friday, Sept. 20, Brind’Amour was asked about the opportunities for the younger players to make the main roster. He stated, “We’ll see. I think there’s always opportunity. When you have the youngsters that we have that we obviously think highly of, maybe you’re going to give them a little more of a look and see what could be, but they have to kick somebody out. So they really have to be special.”
Upon first glance, fans will have mixed feelings on how there could be no prospects making the main roster to start the 2024-25 season. In an offseason where many are considering this upcoming season as a transition year, the possibility of no Nadeau, Blake, Unger-Sörum, etc. is not one they saw happening. Some thought maybe at least one could make it due to how the roster is currently shaped. However, if the first three days of training camp and how the groups have been formed are any indication, maybe that is the plan for the team going into the season.
The lines for Saturday, Sept. 21 saw Jack Roslovic as the second-line left wing with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Martin Necas. If Brind’amour and his staff feel like the younger prospects need to start the season with the Wolves in the AHL, it makes sense to see Roslovic in that spot after spending top-six minutes with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Winnipeg Jets. What makes him a perfect fit in the top six is his speed. Roslovic stated, “It’s the reason why I wanted to come here, because of the fit. They get their wingers up the ice and their D know it. I think it’s a really good system that they’ve created here. I want to be able to fit in and already playing with speed is an advantage that hopefully I can bring to the team.”
Related: StormWatch: 3 Storylines Going into 2024 Hurricanes Training Camp
It is hard for any prospect to do what Seth Jarvis did in 2021-22 making the main roster, especially after his nine-game tryout before the decision to send him back to juniors or not. Fans should not be shocked if the top-end prospects start with the Wolves if the Canes feel like they need time to focus on certain aspects of their game before being thrown to the wolves of the NHL.
Plus Three: Seth Jarvis Locked Up for Eight Seasons
One of the biggest storylines in the offseason was what contract Jarvis would get. Was it going to be a short-term bridge deal or a long-term one? In the end, it ended up being an eight-year, $63.2 million deal with an average annual value of $7.5 million due to deferred payments. Overall, Jarvis, the Hurricanes, and the fans are excited to see the 22-year-old Winnipeg winger stay in Raleighwood for the next eight seasons.
The bridge deal was never an option for Jarvis. He knew right away he wanted to stay long-term and feel relaxed about where he would be for the next decade. He stated at his contract extension press conference, “I don’t really think the bridge deal was, in my mind, an option. I think this is where I wanted to be and I wanted to try my best to make it work. It would have been a different route that we could have taken, but I’m more than happy that this is the way we went.”
Fans should not have to worry about whether buying a Jarvis jersey is worth it or not since he will be with the team through 2032.
Minus Three: Sebastian Aho Snubbed From Top 10 Centers List
The NHL Network over the offseason has been listing their “Top 20 [insert position] Players Right Now” list. Sebastian Aho did make the top 20 centers list, however, he should have been in the top 10. Aho moved up from No. 16 before the 2023-24 season, after recording his third consecutive season of 35-plus goals. Furthermore, he was named an All-Star for the third time in his career. He also had a career season with 89 points while putting himself third among the organization’s all-time leading scorers with 557 points.
Once again, it goes to show that the Hurricanes are somewhat of an afterthought even after career seasons where they had better years than guys listed higher than them. Either way, Aho has proven time and time again that he is well deserving to be considered a superstar player and a top 10, close to top-five center in the NHL.
The First Preseason Game Is Soon
While it is nice to see some hockey action back on the ice, we have preseason hockey right around the corner. The Hurricanes play their first preseason game on Tuesday, Sept. 24 in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The game will be at 7 p.m. Eastern at Amalie Arena. Most likely it will be streamed on the Hurricanes’ website and possibly called on the radio. Either way, we are closer to Canes hockey, Caniacs. Who’s ready?
