Carolina Hurricanes: Is Justin Williams Set To Make a Return?

Rumors may indicate that former Carolina Hurricanes captain “Mr. Game 7” Justin Williams may be making a return to his former team.

The Carolina Hurricanes may be getting a huge addition with rumors of former Canes captain Justin Williams rejoining the team. According to Elliotte Friedman on the NHL’s Network ‘Morning Skate’ Justin Williams has a contract worked out with the Carolina Hurricanes that could be completed and announced by this weekend”.

Now of course, just like with any rumor this should be taken with a grain of salt. Williams has been rumored to return to the NHL throughout the season as he technically never officially retired. Williams has a home in Carolina and it makes a lot of sense that he would want to come back to a situation where he is comfortable and knows the coaches and personnel.

Friedman also mentioned that since Williams is older than 35 years old he is also eligible for bonuses that may have sealed the deal for his return to the Canes. Williams could announce his return as soon as this Saturday night as the NHL’s hometown hockey show is set to be in Williams hometown Cobourg, Ontario.

The addition of Williams would definitely be a welcome one for the Canes who have one of the toughest schedules in the NHL for the remainder of the season. This move could also help with the Canes forward depth as quite a few of the Canes forwards have missed significant time (i.e Erik Haula and Jordan Martinook).

Williams is coming off a season where he finished third on the Carolina Hurricanes in terms of points with 53 (23 Goals 30 Assists). With Williams coming off an entire offseason plus half of the regular season, I would expect a lot of energy and production out of the 38 year old.

Carolina Hurricanes

However, the question remains if Williams does in fact return, what other forward would be sitting out?

If the Canes are fully healthy, I think that Forward Brock McGinn might be the player the Canes could sit. Brock McGinn, while not known for his scoring prowess has produced just 9 points in 40 games played (worst out of all forwards that have played 40 games on the Canes) and a +/- of -2 while receiving 1st and 2nd line minutes at times.

The Canes could implement a rotation of McGinn, Foegele and Williams playing and sitting out separate games similar to how the canes rotate TVR and Fleury. All of this of course is just speculation and nothing is 100% confirmed. Williams could very well be returning but maybe to another team not named the Hurricanes.

Although, I think that is a move that seems unlikely as Williams lives in Raleigh and would be likely looking to make a playoff run in what could actually be his final NHL season.

Below is a reminder that Williams is an extremely clutch player and he helped lead a young Hurricanes squad against the Capitals who won the Stanley Cup in the previous year.

Williams is a natural born leader and I would say everybody in the Carolina Hurricanes locker room respects him in a significant way. If the Canes can manage to get Williams to return, that would be a huge win and any worries of a lack of leadership on the squad would be gone instantly. If Williams truly does return, let’s hope that he still has some magic left in him for another deep playoff run with the Carolina Hurricanes.

CC Readers: Do you think Williams will make his return to the Canes?