Completing a procedural move that they set into motion one day earlier, the Carolina Hurricanes officially recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy on Tuesday evening.
According to multiple reports, Murphy, the Hurricanes’ top defensive prospect who concluded last season in Charlotte, came to the Checkers as a way of alleviating salary cap concerns in Carolina. The 20-year-old was not at Tuesday’s practice at Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, further supporting that point.
Murphy’s recall gives Carolina a total of eight defensemen, though it will be without at least one of theirs in Tim Gleason, who is out indefinitely with a concussion. Should Matt Corrente clear waivers after the Hurricanes placed him there Tuesday, the Checkers would also have eight.
Along with Elias Lindholm, the Hurricanes’ most recent first-round draft pick, Murphy is one of three players on Carolina’s roster that does not require waivers to freely pass between the NHL and AHL. Justin Faulk, a former Checkers who has almost certainly played his last AHL game, is the third.
