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Multiple teams released their preliminary rosters for the 2021 World Juniors this week and there were some notable Carolina Hurricanes prospects who did (and didn’t) make the rosters. Here are the updates:
GUNLER AND NYBECK NAMED TO SWEDEN’S PRELIMINARY WJC ROSTER
Hurricanes forward prospects Noel Gunler and Zion Nybeck were both named to Sweden’s preliminary roster for the World Juniors. Sweden still has several cuts to make before naming their final roster.
PUISTOLA NOT INVITED TO FINLAND’S CAMP
One notable omission from Finland’s roster was Hurricanes 2019 third-round pick Patrik Puistola. Puistola represented Finland at last year’s tournament and had a strong showing, scoring five goals and eight points in seven games, so his absence from the list of players invited is quite odd.
HURRICANES REPORTEDLY INTERESTED IN GRANLUND
The Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly one of the teams interested in signing free agent forward Mikael Granlund, according to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest. You can read more about what adding Granlund could mean for the Hurricanes
here.
As for this week’s poll questions, here are the results and my thoughts on how they turned out:
QUESTION: Do you agree that a starting goalie is Carolina’s biggest need?
(Votes: 58)
Yes: 83%
No: 17%
I don’t think there’s a ton of room for debate here. They could certainly use a top-six winger as well but the Hurricanes haven’t been able to rely on Petr Mrazek for consistent goaltending over the last two seasons.
QUESTION: Do you think Jesper Sellgren will earn a role with the Hurricanes at some point?
(Votes: 33)
Yes: 58%
No: 42%
Sellgren is a very solid prospect but the Hurricanes are deep on defense. Hopefully when Sellgren comes to North America, we’ll get a better idea of whether he could take a spot in the Hurricanes’ defense group.
QUESTION: Which prospect do you think will make Sweden’s final WJC roster?
(Votes: 22)
Noel Gunler: 64%
Neither: 23%
Both: 9%
Zion Nybeck: 4%
Either forward could become a capable member of the forward group but they'll be up against stiff competition to win a roster spot and Sweden still has to cut quite a few players before the tournament.
QUESTION: How long would you hope the contract is if the Hurricanes signed Mikael Granlund?
(Votes: 85)
Two years or less: 74%
Three or four years: 20%
Five years or more: 6%
Normally I wouldn’t mind giving Granlund more term, even after a down year. But with the market the way it is right now and the Hurricanes in for an expensive offseason next summer, a short-term deal would likely be the only way Granlund comes to Carolina.
***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Hurricanes Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow
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OTHER HURRICANES ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER:
Jesper Sellgren is an underrated prospect for the Hurricanes
Noel Gunler and Zion Nybeck named to Sweden’s preliminary WJC roster
Hurricanes are reportedly in the mix to sign Mikael Granlund 
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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