With Justin Williams officially back the next question becomes where will he actually slot into for the Carolina Hurricanes?
The story of “will he or wont he” is finally over. Justin Williams is back with the Carolina Hurricanes. The contract was complex, but thanks to general manager Don Waddell, it fits well under the cap limit for the team. Really all that is left to figure out is where he fits in with this team and who would be the odd man out?
Before we get to that lets quickly look at the timeline for Williams’ return. Yes, he has finally signed with the team. Yes, he has been skating on his own and running his own drills. Yes, he feels like he is ready to compete with the team and return to form. But that is no reason to rush his return to the ice. In fact, do not be surprised if he is a healthy scratch for the next 2-3 games at least.
Rod Brind’amour is going to need to see Williams in practice for himself and evaluate him after a few practices before establishing when he will be ready to hit the ice again. Williams will also need to re-establish his chemistry with the team. However that is a feat that shouldn’t take too long. Indeed there were already smiling faces in his first return to practice with the team:
Like he never left pic.twitter.com/zSV8obYuQF
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 9, 2020
So after all that. After Rod gives him the green light to suit up on game day and add on to his 1244 career NHL. Where would he actually line up. For the beginning I would expect Williams to actually slot into the fourth line with Jordan Martinook, Lucas Wallmark, and Brock McGinn. McGinn and Wallmark would rotate being the odd man out with Martinook taking over center when needed.
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If Justin Williams truly did not lose his step during his time off and can return to being a top six forward, perhaps then he could continue to move up the lines playing with guys like Nino Niederreiter and Jordan Staal pushing Warren Foegele down to try and find his game once again. But that is a big if. Williams is now 38 years old and father time is a brutal master.
In the end Justin Williams is back one way or another and will play sooner rather than later barring any injuries at practice. Where he lines up will be up to Rod Brind’amour, but do not expect Williams to find his game right away. It will be a slow process towards bringing him back up to speed. Better late than never right?
Question For CC Readers: Where do you think Justin Williams should slot in?