Even in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, the Carolina Hurricanes got exactly what they were hoping for from Seth Jarvis: a jolt.
Jarvis was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday, Oct. 21, after shoulder surgery in June, and he wasted no time making his presence felt in his first game back since June 14, when the team won the Stanley Cup. He talked on Wednesday about how much went into getting ready for this moment, saying, “I know how much work I put into my shoulder and, in general, getting ready to play… Now that I’m close, I just couldn’t be more excited.”
Then he went out and backed it up with a goal that looked every bit like a highlight package. After a chip from Jordan Martinook, Jarvis turned tight on Evan Bouchard, spun him around, and slipped past Devon Levi with a smooth finish.
For a player returning just a day shy of the four-month mark from what was expected to be his recovery timeline, the response was as immediate as it gets. Jarvis finished with three shots, four hits, one goal, and a plus-1 rating.
He logged 15:15 of ice time across 24 shifts, skated on the third line with Martinook and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and worked on the second power play unit. Carolina kept the workload manageable for his first night back, but Jarvis still looked like he was everywhere.
Afterward, Jarvis was honest about the rust that still comes with shaking off a long layoff. “The first period, I wasn’t feeling too great.
I was just kind of catching up to the game. After that, I thought I got my legs back and got a lot better.
One of my biggest things is defense and being responsible. I thought that part was kind of lacking tonight, and that’s a big reason why we didn’t pull this one out.
Obviously, there’s some stuff to clean up, but I mean, I kind of expected that coming into my first game.”
That adjustment period makes sense. Jarvis has not had much game pace since the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup back in June, and training camp, preseason practices, and the first stretch of the regular season can only do so much to simulate it. It usually takes time to catch back up, and by the sound of it, he is still working toward that.
There’s also the bigger question of what Jarvis looks like when he gets fully healthy for the first time in a couple of years. The last two seasons have featured a torn labrum and a harness, and yet he still scored 32 goals in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
With 72 games left in the season, he has a real chance to make it four straight seasons with 30 goals or more. If he can do that while dealing with a painful shoulder, the ceiling is obvious once he is truly pain-free.
The Hurricanes clearly felt the same relief. With Jordan Staal, Taylor Hall, and Mark Jankowski injured, getting Jarvis back mattered.
Carolina sits at 8-2-2 with one game left on its North Carolina State Fair trip Saturday night in St. Louis, and the hope is to finish 3-1-1 and come home with seven of a possible 10 points.
Next Tuesday night, Oct. 27, the Hurricanes return to the Lenovo Center, and Jarvis will be back on home ice for the first time in 2026-27. Expect the building to let the Winnipeg native know it.
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Carolina is still navigating a thin lineup, even with Seth Jarvis back in the mix, and the injury list remains part of the story as the trip wears on. St. Louis is dealing with its own health concerns, so this one has the feel of a matchup where depth and discipline may matter as much as the top lines, especially with the road trip winding down and both clubs trying to sort out where they stand. [Read more 🡒]