The Carolina Hurricanes are taking a preseason stop that feels a little like a homecoming.
On Thursday night, they’re back in Greensboro to face the Nashville Predators, returning to the building where their first postseason run once began. The Canes are two-time Stanley Cup champions now, but this one carries some nostalgia with it.
There are only two preseason games left, and Carolina is still leaning young. A few regulars are in the mix, though, and the second line is set to make its preseason debut. Pyotr Kochetkov is also expected to get his second start of the preseason after taking the loss against the Panthers in Sunrise over the weekend.
Nashville, meanwhile, is bringing a mixed group to town. Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, and Juuse Saros are not making the trip, but the Predators still have plenty of talent in the lineup. Former Hurricane Jack Drury is among the players headed to Greensboro, and Justus Annunen appears to be the likely starter based on the roster.
For Carolina, this is another chance to see how a few key pieces are settling in.
Jackson Blake is part of the second-line group getting its turn. He’s entering the first season of his eight-year extension after a strong sophomore campaign, both in the regular season and the playoffs. With so few established roster players in the lineup, he should see plenty of ice.
Logan Stankoven is in a similar spot. He’s also beginning an eight-year contract, and he made a major impression in his first full season with the team, especially in the postseason.
Stankoven answered a lot of questions as the second-line center, a role that had long been viewed as a weak point for the Hurricanes. There’s still room for growth, and that continues tonight.
Felix Unger Sorum has also been making his case. Nadeau has gotten plenty of attention lately because of how well he has played this preseason, but Unger Sorum has been right there too.
He hasn’t filled up the scoresheet in the same way, yet his play has been just as strong. He finished Tuesday’s game with a gorgeous shootout goal, and a score Thursday would only help his push.
On the back end, Dominik Badinka is another name worth tracking. Carolina’s defense is still young tonight, with only two seasoned NHLers in the lineup.
Badinka impressed during the Prospect Showcase and scored the opening goal in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers. With seven defensemen on the roster, he could end up as the healthy scratch on defense, but this is another useful look at him.
And in goal, there’s at least a chance Carolina could split the workload. Kochetkov is the expected starter, which makes sense.
But because the game is in Greensboro, Rod Brind’Amour could choose to divide the night between his goalies the way he did on Tuesday. Ruslan Khazheyev knows this building well, so a brief tune-up before the Canes leave Greensboro again would make sense.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Still Need Clarity On One Roster Situation At Camp
Training camps are moving along, but Carolina still has a notable loose end on its blue line as the Hurricanes sort through their early roster picture. Around the league, a few prominent restricted free agents are lingering without deals, with Adam Fantilli and Columbus still working toward a contract and Simon Edvinsson taking part in Detroits camp while negotiations continue.
For Carolina, the more immediate question centers on Alexander Nikishin, whose status has been unsettled since an offseason trade request. The Hurricanes have opened camp without him, leaving another layer of uncertainty for a team that would rather have clarity now than let a key roster situation drift deeper into the season planning process. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit A Summer What-If
A familiar name has resurfaced in the AHL, and it offers Hurricanes fans a small reminder of the kind of summer market Carolina was keeping tabs on. Veteran winger Anderson has signed a professional tryout with Hershey and is on the Bears training camp roster, a modest move on paper but one that can still stir up old conversations for a team that was weighing plenty of options before the season got rolling.
For Carolina, the interest was never just about adding another body. The Hurricanes were among the teams that looked into Alex Formenton, a player whose path and fit drew attention around the league before he landed elsewhere, and the ripple effect of those decisions is still easy to see now that he is tied to another organizations plans. His eventual choice left Carolina to look back at a summer what-if, the sort of roster subplot that can linger when a team is always searching for the right blend of speed, age and upside. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Just Won It All But The Path Back Looks Tougher
The celebration in Carolina is still fresh after the Hurricanes captured their first Stanley Cup since 2006, finishing off the Vegas Golden Knights in six games. It was the kind of spring run that can change a franchises mood in a hurry, especially with Vegas having just swept Colorado in the Western Conference Finals and looked like the team most likely to keep rolling before the Final.
Still, the road back to another parade already looks crowded, with early offseason movement around the league serving as a reminder that nothing stays still for long. Anaheims decisions around Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish reshaped one Pacific Division picture, Buffalo finally ended its 14-year playoff drought while also sending Alex Tuch to Washington, and the Hurricanes now face the harder task that comes after the breakthrough: proving the title was the start of something, not the finish. [Read more 🡒]