The Carolina Hurricanes opened the season by making a move that leaves Bradly Nadeau in the AHL, and the decision comes with real questions attached.
On Sunday, Carolina announced its opening-night roster and Nadeau was not on it. Instead, the 21-year-old winger was sent back to the Chicago Wolves, a choice that cuts against the idea that this was the moment to give him a real NHL runway.
With Seth Jarvis listed as “injured non-roster” after off-season shoulder surgery, the Hurricanes had room to test a young scorer in a meaningful role. They passed.
That’s what makes this so striking. Nadeau’s time in the AHL has already done plenty of good.
As a 19-year-old in 2024-25, he played 64 games for Chicago, scored 32 goals and finished with 58 points. Last season, at 20, he put up 27 goals and 56 points in 52 games.
That ranked 32nd in the AHL in points, and he did it without missing time to injury. He also got 12 games with Carolina, scored three goals, and did it while working in fourth-line minutes.
The case for keeping him down is simple enough on the surface: if a prospect is not going to play real minutes, the NHL bench can become a dead end. At his age, Nadeau needs ice time, not long stretches watching from above. In that sense, sending him to Chicago is understandable if the alternative is limited usage in a bottom-six role.
But the opening created by Jarvis’s absence made this different. Carolina could have looked at Nadeau as more than a depth piece.
One option was to slide him into a third-line spot with Nikolaj Ehlers moving up. Another was to give him a chance on the second power-play unit, where Jarvis’s injury opened up opportunity.
The Hurricanes chose not to do that and kept Ehlers on the third line, which fits. Still, that only sharpens the question of why they didn’t get bolder with Nadeau.
The most aggressive route would have been the first line, where Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov could have loaded him up with chances. That would have come with risk, especially on the defensive side, but it also would have given Nadeau a chance to learn fast while using his scoring touch right away. For a player with his ceiling, that kind of exposure can matter.
Instead, he heads back to a league where the surroundings are very different. In the AHL, he’ll get top power-play time, a regular place on the top line and the kind of steady minutes that are hard to find in the NHL.
The issue is that the developmental return may not match what Carolina will want from him later. He won’t be facing the same size, speed, skill or game sense that NHL opponents bring, and that is where the concern comes in.
Nadeau finished last season with a 1.08 points-per-game average, 22nd in the AHL and the best mark on the Wolves. He can keep building in Chicago, sure. But if the Hurricanes are not using a valuable season to push him forward now, they may be leaving too much on the table.
There are still ways this can turn out fine. If Carolina eventually uses Nadeau as part of a package for a star, that’s one thing.
If they bring him back after their season opener against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and decide they want his skill in the lineup, that works too. But if this move was driven mostly by the fact that he is waiver-exempt, then the decision starts to look a lot worse.
In a system that has already seen at least three prospects request trades in the last six years, that kind of handling is worth watching closely.
In Other News...
Nikishin Situation Is Turning Into A Serious Hurricanes Standoff
Alexander Nikishins future has become one of the more intriguing roster matters hanging over Carolina this summer. The 21-year-old defenseman remains an unsigned restricted free agent, and his name has surfaced in trade conversations with multiple NHL teams, including the Rangers, Blues and Predators. He also recently changed agents to Paul Theofanous, a sign the situation is still very much in motion as the Hurricanes weigh what to do next.
What makes this especially delicate for Carolina is the level of interest it appears to be drawing and the price attached to it. The Hurricanes are not treating Nikishin like a movable depth piece, which helps explain why the talks have been so slow to move anywhere meaningful. With a pending trade request still in place and no resolution yet on the contract side, this has turned into the kind of standoff that can linger until one side finally gets close enough to its number to blink. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Trade Twist Could Still Open The Door To A Bigger Upgrade
The ripple effects of Carolinas search for upgrades may not be done yet, even after the clubs trade discussions with the Rangers over Alexander Nikishin came apart. For a team still looking to position itself for the long season ahead, that kind of near-miss can matter as much as any completed move, especially when the market around the league remains active and other contenders are still weighing their own changes before opening night.
Montreal is among the teams being linked to pre-opener trade possibilities, with Columbus forward Kirill Marchenko mentioned as a target, while Edmonton is also canvassing the market for a right-shot center and has been connected to Kirby Dach and Shane Wright. For Carolina, the bigger question is whether the Nikishin talks were a one-off detour or a sign the Hurricanes are still circling a larger swing that could reshape their blue line if the right opportunity surfaces. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Opener Still Has One Roster Tension Fans Cant Ignore
Ahead of the season opener, Eric Tulsky used his pregame availability to clarify one of Carolinas quieter roster storylines: Felix Unger Sorum and Bradly Nadeau have made the team, but they are not forcing apart the Stanley Cup-winning group that the Hurricanes are bringing back. For a club trying to balance young talent with continuity, that matters, especially with Seth Jarvis on injured reserve and the roster already in a temporary state.
Tulsky did not have a fresh update on Alexander Nikishin, saying only that talks are still ongoing after the defenseman changed agents. Carolina is also carrying three goalies right now as a protection measure, a move designed to help the Hurricanes avoid losing anyone on waivers while the roster sorts itself out and the opener arrives with a few loose ends still hanging. [Read more 🡒]