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The Carolina Hurricanes are down to just 33 players left at training camp, but still have several more cuts to make to get down to their final roster.
Below, we look at a projected 23-man roster for the Hurricanes, heading into the 2021-22 season.
GOALIES (2): Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta
This is straightforward - Carolina’s free agent additions will share the net. The bigger question will be whether one of them can emerge as a true starter.
FORWARDS (13): Sebastian Aho, Jesper Fast, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Josh Leivo, Steven Lorentz, Jordan Martinook, Martin Necas, Nino Niederreiter, Jordan Staal, Derek Stepan, Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, Vincent Trocheck
We can assume 11 forwards will have guaranteed lineup spots, with Steven Lorentz likely taking the final spot and Josh Leivo acting as the 13th forward. After that, there really aren’t a ton of players likely to win a spot, as the team’s top prospects at camp probably still need more time to develop. Seth Jarvis could get a trial run, but the team’s top-nine looks fairly set and there isn't necessarily a spot for him right now anyways. Stefan Noesen could potentially win a roster spot as a spare, but it seems more likely the final spot goes to an eighth defenseman instead.
DEFENSE (8): Ethan Bear, Ian Cole, Tony DeAngelo, Max Lajoie, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Jaccob Slavin, Brendan Smith
We know the three returning defenders will have roster spots, as will Ethan Bear and Ian Cole. We can also assume Tony DeAngelo will round out the defense group, taking the final spot in the lineup to start the year.
Brendan Smith will likely be the team’s seventh defenseman, and then the question becomes who we could see as the eighth defender, with Jake Gardiner out for the season. The Hurricanes aren’t likely to give the spot to any defenseman who’s still waiver eligible and would benefit more from time in the AHL rather than the press box, like Joey Keane.
Max Lajoie won’t be exempt from waivers, which could be a factor. You could probably even include Eric Gelinas as an option as well. I’m going to guess it’ll be Lajoie getting the last spot, considering Jalen Chatfield was already sent to the AHL, but it’s possible the Hurricanes could try to get Lajoie through waivers, in favour of more playing time instead.
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