- The Hurricanes announced that defenseman Riley Stillman has been sent back to AHL Chicago. The 26-year-old has been sent back and forth this season but hasn’t seen any action with Carolina. Stillman has four points in nine contests with the Wolves. Meanwhile, Carolina has also recalled goalie Dustin Tokarski, defenseman Ty Smith, and winger Jackson Blake from Chicago, per the AHL transactions log. The three were papered to the minors on Wednesday.
Hurricanes Rumors
Injury To Jost Will Keep Him Out Long Term
- The undisclosed injury that Hurricanes forward Tyson Jost sustained on Tuesday is expected to keep him out long-term, relays team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). The 26-year-old cleared waivers earlier this season but played in 16 games with Carolina since being recalled in November. Jost has a pair of goals in those outings while averaging 10:28 per game but he won’t be adding to that point total for a while yet now.
Tokarski, Smith, And Blake Papered Down
- The Hurricanes continue their frequent roster movement. With no game today, they’ve assigned goaltender Dustin Tokarski, defenseman Ty Smith, and winger Jackson Blake to AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. As is always the case with these moves, the paper assignments merely free up several thousand dollars in cap space. Carolina is back in action on Thursday and all three are likely to be recalled at that time.
Hurricanes Recall Juha Jaaska
The Hurricanes appear set to give a new forward his first taste of NHL action. The team announced that they’ve recalled Juha Jaaska from AHL Chicago. The move was made after 4 PM CT and thus will not officially hit Carolina’s books from a salary cap perspective until Thursday.
The 26-year-old is in his first season in North America after signing a one-year, entry-level deal with the Hurricanes back in April. The contract carries an AAV of $850K. Jaaska put up two straight seasons of at least 30 points with HIFK in Finland’s Liiga which helped earn him this contract while he also suited up for his country at the 2024 Worlds, albeit in a limited role.
So far, Jaaska has played exclusively with the Wolves, tallying seven goals and nine assists in 25 games, producing at a similar point-per-game level as he was back home. His 16 points are good for a tie for third in team scoring.
Even though he’s on his entry-level deal, Jaaska will be eligible to test the open market again this summer as an unrestricted free agent so he’ll be looking to make a good impression in his first taste of action at the top level.
Hurricanes’ Shayne Gostisbehere To Miss Extended Time
Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere appears ticketed for a longer-term absence due to his recently sustained upper-body injury, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters Monday (via Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer). The lefty missed Saturday’s win over the Devils after leaving Friday’s loss late in the third period, missing his final three shifts alongside usual defense partner Sean Walker.
It’s a tough blow for Gostisbehere, who’s tracking at 0.77 points per game through 35 contests – the second-highest such rate of his career. He’s quarterbacked the team’s top power-play unit with Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Martin Nečas, and Andrei Svechnikov, all the while ranking third on the team in scoring with 27 points and ranking second in the NHL among defenders with 18 power-play points. Needless to say, it’s been a happy marriage so far between the 31-year-old and the Hurricanes, who signed him to a three-year, $9.6MM contract over the summer.
Picked up after a 10-goal, 56-point campaign in Detroit last year, Gostisbehere doesn’t log enough even-strength usage to warrant Norris Trophy consideration but has firmly re-established himself as one of the top power-play specialists in the league. His 0.72 points per game since the beginning of 2023-24 rank 13th among defensemen with at least 40 games played. He’s also an incredibly efficient producer. Among defenders who have also averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game over that span, he ranks first in points per game, with the Kings’ Brandt Clarke coming in a distant second at 0.52.
Gostisbehere’s injury forced Ty Smith to make his season debut on Saturday, making him just the seventh different defenseman to suit up for Carolina in 2024-25. They’ve been exceptionally healthy on the blue line. Smith, who hadn’t played in the NHL since January 2023 and had 10 points in 13 games while on assignment to AHL Chicago this season, took Gostisbehere’s spot on the top power-play unit.
The length of Gostisbehere’s absence could have a small influence on the Canes’ deadline plans. Despite their high-end depth with everyone healthy, things drop off sharply on the depth chart past the No. 6 position. Rolling for a long period of time with Smith and Riley Stillman as the No. 6/7 options isn’t desirable and could convince general manager Eric Tulsky to add some more experienced bottom-pairing depth.
Hurricanes Recall Riley Stillman, Place Jack Drury On IR
The Hurricanes announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. The team had an open roster spot, but center Jack Drury was moved to injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.
Stillman, 26, has been sent between the NHL and AHL countless times this season. Used as a frequent healthy extra, he’s yet to see NHL ice in 2024-25 but has been rostered for seven games since returning from offseason lower-body surgery in mid-November. He was sent to the minors before the holiday break and wasn’t necessarily expected back after the Canes summoned Ty Smith over the weekend. However, after Shayne Gostisbehere missed Saturday’s win over the Devils with an upper-body injury, they were down to six healthy defensemen on the active roster.
Thus, Stillman comes back up to serve as a familiar extra option for the time being while the more offensively-inclined Smith suits up in Gostisbehere’s absence. Smith and Stillman had been in the same boat for most of the season, serving as a No. 7 but never getting into the lineup. That changed over the weekend when Gostisbehere’s injury marked the first time a regular Carolina defenseman has missed a game all season.
If the left-shot Stillman does get an NHL shot, it will be his first NHL appearance since April 2023 with the Sabres. While on assignment to the AHL this year, he has a goal and three assists with 11 PIMs and a -1 rating in nine appearances. In 158 career NHL games with the Panthers, Blackhawks, Canucks, and Sabres, he has four goals and 22 assists for 26 points with a -19 rating, 104 PIMs, and 318 hits while averaging 15:49 per game.
Drury’s IR placement doesn’t affect his timeline for a return from hand surgery that he underwent earlier this month. He’s not expected back until Jan. 15 against Buffalo at the earliest.
Hurricanes Recall Ty Smith; Shayne Gostisbehere Out With Upper-Body Injury
The Hurricanes had recalled defenseman Ty Smith on five separate occasions earlier in the season but he never got into a game. It turns out the sixth time will be the charm. Earlier today, the team announced that they once again promoted Smith from AHL Chicago. However, they also revealed (Twitter link) that blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere was scratched for tonight’s game against New Jersey due to an upper-body injury.
Smith was acquired by Carolina last season at the trade deadline as part of the Jake Guentzel trade but hadn’t suited up for the Hurricanes before tonight. The 24-year-old has played in 13 games with the Wolves so far this season, collecting three goals and seven assists. Smith has 123 career NHL appearances under his belt between New Jersey and Pittsburgh but last saw action at the top level in January 2023.
As for Gostisbehere, he has been quite productive in his return to Carolina after signing a three-year, $9.6MM contract he signed back in July. Through 35 games, he has six goals and 21 assists while logging 19 minutes a night. He leads all Hurricanes blueliners in scoring while sitting third in points overall among all Carolina players so his absence will certainly be notable. The team didn’t reveal any potential timeline for his absence.
Hurricanes Reassign Riley Stillman
The Hurricanes announced today that they’ve returned defenseman Riley Stillman to AHL Chicago ahead of tonight’s game against the Predators, their final contest before the holiday break. They now have an open spot on the active roster, which will likely be filled by a recall on the blue line come Friday, whether that’s Stillman or someone else.
Stillman, 26, was signed to a one-year, two-way contract after reaching unrestricted free agency last summer. The Hurricanes picked him up after he spent the entire 2023-24 campaign in the AHL with the Sabres’ affiliate in Rochester, marking his first season without any NHL action since 2017-18.
After missing the first 12 games of the season following offseason lower-body surgery, Stillman cleared waivers in mid-November and has spent the time since heading up and down between the Hurricanes and the Wolves. He’s yet to actually enter a game for Carolina this season, but he has been rostered for seven contests as a healthy scratch and last-minute injury insurance. The endless juggling between leagues also means that Stillman has only played seven AHL games since getting his season underway last month, posting two assists, 11 PIMs, and a +1 rating.
It’s easy to see why Stillman hasn’t gotten an NHL crack on Carolina’s very deep and very healthy blue line. Their top six defenders – Brent Burns, Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, Dmitry Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, and Sean Walker – have all played all 33 games for the Canes this year, providing no opportunity for Stillman (or other frequent press-box option Ty Smith) to see NHL ice. With 26 points, a -19 rating, and underwhelming possession metrics in 158 career NHL games, Stillman wouldn’t sit higher than No. 7 on pretty much any other team’s defensive depth chart anyways.
Assigning Stillman to the minors will delay his temporary waiver exemption. Between his roster moves, Stillman’s still appeared on Carolina’s roster for less than 30 days since clearing waivers last month, so he won’t be exposed to the waiver wire again today.
Blake, Stillman, And Tokarski Papered To AHL
- The Hurricanes have returned winger Jackson Blake, goaltender Dustin Tokarski, and defenseman Riley Stillman to AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. Carolina has made these moves all season long to bank a bit of cap space. Even with the roster freeze, emergency recalls are still permitted for a few more days so expect them to continue this for even after Thursday.
Hurricanes Targeting Short-Term Goaltending Options
- LeBrun reiterated the Carolina Hurricanes’ interest in Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson. The most recent connection between the Hurricanes and Gibson came in a separate article from LeBrun nearly a month ago. Carolina isn’t enthusiastic about Anaheim’s asking price for Gibson which has the organization turning toward short-term options. LeBrun cites Utah Hockey Clubs’ Karel Vejmelka, Ottawa Senators’ Anton Forsberg, and Calgary Flames’ Dan Vladar as viable trade candidates moving toward deadline season.
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