The Canes NHL roster has started to take better shape. As of now, Jackson Blake has stuck in the NHL but they still have to make 3 more cuts in the next 24ish hours. Rod Brind’Amour was very positive anytime he spoke about Blake, but it’s probably dumb to get ahead of ourselves here. I’d still lean on the side that he sticks in the NHL or splits time between the Wolves and the Canes.
Bryce Montgomery signed a three-year entry-level contract. I love his game, not many defensemen of his size can skate like he can and he has flashes of offensive potential. His defensive game is pretty solid as well. Also, he is a wonderful human being and has a bright personality that people will love.
The goalie situation will be Spencer Martin getting the majority of the starts with Yaniv Perets rotating in. I love Ruslan Khazheyev and his potential but it was evident in practice that he is extremely raw. I’d imagine he’ll spend the season splitting time between Chicago and Bloomington.
I’m not entirely shocked by both Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum going to Chicago. Felix obviously flashed a ton of offensive potential but if the Canes are truly serious about him being a center at the NHL level, spending time in Chicago is the best place for him. As for Nadeau, his shot is there but some other bumps need to be worked out. His skill set also lends itself to a top 6 spot and there just isn’t one available currently on the Hurricanes.
Gleb.
Everyone’s eyes became very aware of how much fun Charles-Alexis Legault can be. He’s smooth skating, he was very effective while killing penalties, and he’s violent when he needs to be. Legault has potential and I hope Chicago keeps that Domenick Fensore-Legault pairing. That was a very good pairing.
Scott Morrow is going to be very good. That was evident by his play in the two preseason games he got to play in. His brain just works in a different way, always thinking of the best way to generate a chance. His defense was also holding together, shown by being a PKer when he wasn’t in the box. 20 minutes a night with the Wolves will have him fully NHL-ready for next season.
Ronan Seeley was a favorite amongst some of us for being unnoticeable in a good way. He’s just so solid defensively that he isn’t noticed for doing something stupid. Awesome stuff from him.
Anttoni Honka going to Europe instead of Chicago isn’t shocking to me. He wasn’t going to play above Morrow or Legault so it makes sense. I doubt that he will be retained going into next year.
Also, I hadn’t mentioned it yet but I want to say thank you to the entire Carolina Hurricanes organization for letting me have access to the room during the preseason. Was a lot of fun and let me learn a great deal about the players and the industry.