What follows is a position-by-position preview of the Carolina Hurricanes’ camp, which begins Friday morning. How many spots are open and who might fill them?
Charlotte’s training camp begins Sept. 29 at Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail.
Forwards
The departures of Drayson Bowman, Radek Dvorak, Manny Malhotra and Andrei Loktionov from the group that finished last season in Carolina has left a few openings up front. Two of those were seemingly filled by free-agent signings Jay McClement and Brad Malone, who profile as the prototypical fourth-line players that the organization has sought for years.
To be sure, there are talented younger players who will be pushing for jobs, namely rookie Brock McGinn and second-year pro Victor Rask, who each enjoyed standout performances at the recent NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City. That said, the fact that Boychuk and Terry require waivers for an AHL assignment while their chief competitors do not should work in the more experienced players’ favor.
Based on the glowing reviews from Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis and Checkers head coach Jeff Daniels, Rask figures to be a player to watch closely. With the Staal brothers, Nash and McLement already at the position and Lindholm able to easily slide over from the wing, the center spot seems to be a tough one to crack, but he’s clearly put himself on the radar. Ben Holmstrom, a recent free-agent signing with some NHL experience, could also be in that mix.
Defense
The position arguably most ripe for a surprise is on the blue line. After a returning top pair of their top pairing of Justin Faulk and Andrei Sekera as well as veteran Ron Hainsey, roles seem to be up for grabs.
Of players mentioned in that group of questions, only Murphy and Bellemore are on two-way contracts, and only Murphy could come to Charlotte without going through waivers. Could the uncertainty allow someone like Michal Jordan, who made his senior international debut with the Czech Republic at last spring’s World Championship, to sneak into the mix? It could still be an uphill battle based on the sheer number of experienced defensemen in camp, but he shouldn’t be far away from the pack based on his ability and burgeoning reputation as a dependable, well-rounded player capable of playing big minutes.
Goaltending
What’s easily the position with the most drama at the NHL level is the position with the least drama for the Checkers. It’s anyone’s guess who earns the No. 1 job in Carolina, but it’s no secret that Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin will make the team..As far as Charlotte is concerned, the only semblance of a battle is likely to trickle down to their own camp, where veteran Drew MacIntyre, all-time wins leader John Muse and rookie Daniel Altshuller will provide excellent depth. All signs point to Altshuller getting the opportunity to play regularly at the ECHL level to begin the season, though he could certainly change that with strong showings over the next few weeks..
With the hierarchy more or less established barring some sort of major upset, any potential injuries, a no-pun-intended sore spot in recent years, will be the main thing to monitor. As excited as the Checkers are to go into the season with a pair of proven options like MacIntyre and Muse, it only took one week for AHL All-Star Justin Peters to leave for good last season as both Ward and Khudobin went down early.
