Pierre-Olivier Joseph’s arrival in Carolina caught plenty of attention, and not just because the Hurricanes added another defenseman. The bigger question around the move has been the uncertainty surrounding restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin.
Joseph is not a Nikishin stand-in, and this signing does not appear likely to change the Hurricanes’ outlook on the Russian defender. What Joseph does bring is a skill set that fits the way Carolina wants its blue line to operate, even if the path to a roster spot is crowded.
The strongest part of Joseph’s game is simple: he takes the puck away. According to Natural Stat Trick, he posted 1.31 takeaways per 60 minutes in all situations, which ranked 36th among NHL defensemen. That came in only 400 minutes across 31 games, so the sample is small, but it still points to a player who can make an impact in limited work.
That matters because Joseph can line up on either side of the defense. That kind of flexibility makes him a natural candidate for the seventh defenseman role, the extra blue-liner who can be plugged in when needed.
Carolina used Mike Reilly in that spot last season, though injuries forced Reilly into much heavier usage than the Hurricanes probably wanted. Joseph would give the team a better chance to interrupt opposing attacks, and that is no small thing for a club built on structure and fundamentals.
The problem is the numbers game. Joseph is now in the mix with Reilly, Jusso Valimaki, Charles Alexis Legault, and Joel Nystrom, which is a lot of bodies for one defense corps.
Even for an organization that values depth, that is a crowded lane. Joseph has to win a real battle just to be the extra defender on the roster.
His best card is still that ability to play both sides. Legault and Nystrom are mostly right-shot defenders and less adaptable than Joseph, but they are also young enough that sitting in the press box would not help much.
They need minutes, and those are more likely to come with the Chicago Wolves. That narrows the conversation to Valimaki, Reilly, and Joseph.
Valimaki brings his own case. His ACL tear was described as nasty, even by ACL standards, and he has been working back quietly while settling in with the Wolves.
He gives Carolina NHL experience and a steady hand for prospects in the minors, and he remains available if the Hurricanes need him. Still, it has been more than a year since he last played in the NHL, which makes Joseph and Reilly the safer bets for a 23-man roster spot.
That leads to the direct comparison. It is not a clean one.
Reilly played for the Stanley Cup champion, while Joseph skated for the worst team in the NHL by standings. Team quality matters, and Carolina’s heavy possession style changes the shape of the defensive workload too.
At 5-on-5, Reilly has a slight edge in expected goals against per 60, according to Natural Stat Trick, with a 2.46 compared to Joseph’s 2.58. But that gap looks thinner once you account for context.
Would Reilly have posted those same numbers in Vancouver? That is far from certain.
On a team that controls the ice the way Carolina does, the margin between them does not look all that wide.
Joseph makes up ground in the individual numbers. At 5-on-5, he averages 1.38 takeaways per 60 minutes, while Reilly sits at 0.74.
Joseph also averages 2.77 hits per 60 minutes, compared with Reilly’s 1.69. That physical edge matters, especially in the playoffs, as long as the contact comes at the right times.
It also adds another layer of toughness to Carolina’s back end.
Then there is the skating. If Joseph is going to work in Carolina’s system, he has to keep pace, and by the NHL Edge tracking, he does.
Joseph’s top speed is 23 mph, while Reilly reached 21.07 mph. Joseph also skated 8.96 miles per 60 minutes of ice time, ahead of Reilly’s 8.71.
For a Hurricanes team that can get trapped deep in the offensive zone, that extra ground covered can matter.
Even the shot-quality numbers line up closely, with Joseph’s overall average shot quality against roughly matching Reilly’s before team context is taken into account. When you combine the skating, the flexibility, and the takeaway numbers, the move starts to look a lot less puzzling.
There is still room for this to play out. With Seth Jarvis recovering from shoulder surgery, Carolina has a roster spot available, which gives the team some breathing room to keep both defensemen around and sort out the competition later if training camp does not produce a clear winner.
Joseph and Reilly can both make a case for the job. The stats lean Joseph’s way, but the final call will come on the ice.
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Hurricanes Face A New Alexander Nikishin Problem This Offseason
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That request has become part of the backdrop in trade talks, leaving the team to navigate a delicate decision with a player it had hoped to keep in the fold. If Nikishin is ultimately moved, he would become the second member of Carolinas Cup-winning roster to exit the organization this offseason, a reminder that even after a title, the roster churn does not always stop when the parade ends. [Read more 🡒]