Carolina Hurricanes: Right Shot Defensive Depth Revisited

After entering the season with a wealth of right shot defenseman, the Carolina Hurricanes now find themselves forced to play several left shot D on their off sides. How much turnover has the position seen?

The right shot defensive depth throughout the Carolina Hurricanes’ organization has been a topic of interest around the league for some time now. Entering training camp with four veteran NHL RHD; Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Justin Faulk, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, someone was going to have to play their off side.

Although van Riemsdyk was scheduled to miss the start of the year as he continued his recovery from offseason surgery, trade speculation continued to surround the team. Right shot defenseman are in high demand and trading one would bring the Hurricanes a nice return. Don Waddell put an end to that speculation when he traded Faulk to St. Louis in late September.

A month before the trade was finalized we took a quick glance at all the RHD in the Hurricanes’ organization. Now, three-fourths of way through the season three have been traded and another three are in need of contracts this offseason. In the event all three move on, the turnover rate would be startling.

In addition to Justin Faulk, Kyle Wood and Chase Priskie have also been traded elsewhere. Unlike Faulk, who spent eight years with the Hurricanes, both Wood’s and Priskie’s time with the Hurricanes’ organization would be rather short.

Originally acquired for Trevor Carrick, Wood was brought in from San Jose. At the time of his arrival, he was expected to be a nice depth piece for Charlotte. Appearing in only 14 games with the Checkers, he would quickly be shipped off to Detroit for Oliwer Kaski, in a swap of RHDs.

Kaski was a highly sought after free agent this offseason. Coming over from the Finish Elite League, the 24 year old was coming off a career year where he posted 51 points in 59 games. As an all star and recipient of the Pekka Rautakallio (best defenseman) and Lasse Oksanen (best player during the regular season) Awards, he was expected to bolster the Red Wing’s back end.

Luckily for the Canes, he wasn’t much of a fit with the system Detroit plays. Since arriving in Charlotte, Kaski has done nothing but score timely goals. With 20 points in 31 games he could possibly challenge for a 6/7 spot on the Canes next season. As a pending RFA, expect a short term extension between Oliwer and Carolina sometime between now and this summer.

Priskie, signed as a college free agent after opting not to sign with Washington, was expected to challenge for a NHL spot after Faulk’s departure. Unfortunately for him, he ended up missing most of training camp with an injury.

Appearing in 52 games in Charlotte, Priskie was off to a solid start to his professional career. With 31 points, 6 goals and 25 assists, he was among the top rookie defenseman point leaders.

The addition of Joey Keane, another RHD defenseman, made Priskie expendable. Like Chase, Keane was among the rookie defenseman point leaders, but at 20 he is a few years younger.

While having both players would have given the Checkers the most dynamic defensive core in the entire AHL, the two were a bit redundant. Because of this Priskie ended up getting traded to the Panthers at the trade deadline in the Vincent Trocheck deal.

In addition to Kaski and Keane, the Carolina Hurricanes picked up Sami Vatanen. Currently injured, he is expected to make his Hurricanes debut sometime within the next couple of weeks. With Dougie Hamilton on IR with a broken leg and Brett Pesce contemplating surgery, Vatanen will be a welcomed addition to Carolina’s blue line.

With the current injuries van Riemsdyk is the only RHD on the roster. Guys like Jaccob Slavin, Joel Edmundson and new comer Brady Skjei have all seen some time on their off side with varying results. Once Sami comes back, the D pairings will get a much needed lift.

Capable of chipping in offense and running a power play, Vatanen will go a long way to replace some of the production the Hurricanes have severely missed since Hamilton went down.

Not to be forgotten about, Roland McKeown is well on his way to set career numbers in almost every offensive category in Charlotte in his first year as the Checkers’ captain. Although he isn’t the flashiest of players, he has proven to be a solid bottom pair guy at the NHL level in his ten games with the Canes back in 2017-18.

As an upcoming RFA, his time with the Hurricanes may be coming to an end this summer. No longer waiver exempt, and not likely to get a full time NHL opportunity in Raleigh any time soon, it is highly possible McKeown gets traded. Either in a deal similar to the Carrick one (for a younger waiver exempt player) or as a thrown in in a larger deal.

In the system, Luke Martin is a guy that the Hurricanes are going to have to make a decision on shortly. Drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft, Martin is finishing up his senior year at the University of Michigan. A once promising prospect, he has had an up and down college career and will either need to be signed once his season is up or he will become a free agent.

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

Another guy to keeps tabs on is Anttoni Honka. More than likely staying in Finland for the next couple of seasons to develop, Honka is a true boom or bust prospect. Drafted in this past June, he has elite offensive ability from the backend. Should he reach his potential, he will be a dynamic threat to put up points from the blue line and will make nice power play quarterback.

When you compare the RHD depth from September 2019 to now, only six of the original nine remain. Entering the offseason, three more guys are on expiring deals and could all be on their way out. With that in mind, it is highly possible that only three right shot defenseman from a year ago will be apart of the organization come this fall.

Waddell and Co. are allowed to begin extension talks with Dougie this summer. Given their recent track record of negotiations, if the two sides are too far apart Hamilton could be placed on the trading block. Hopefully it doesn’t get to that point. Seeing how the fans have taken to Dougie and how much he seems to enjoy playing for the Canes, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Right Shot D Depth September 2019: Justin Faulk (traded), Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Roland McKeown, Kyle Wood (traded), Chase Priskie (traded), Luke Martin and Anttoni Honka 

Right Shot D Depth March 2020: Dougie Hamilton (IR), Brett Pesce (Injured), Sami Vatanen (IR, pending UFA), Trevor van Riemsdyk (pending UFA), Roland McKeown (pending RFA), Joey Keane, Oliwer Kaski (pending RFA), Luke Martin (pending UFA), Anttoni Honka

Question for CC readers: What do you think of all the turnover the Carolina Hurricanes have seen with their right shot defenseman depth within the past year?