New Faces on the Roster
For the most part, the Carolina Hurricanes roster that made the playoffs back to back for the first time in nearly two decades remains the same since the additions at the trade deadline last year.
The biggest losses were the retirement of Justin Williams and the UFA losses of defenders Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Joel Edmundson (who’s rights were traded before FA), and Sami Vatanen (who is still an unsigned FA).
While there are more than a few new faces at Camp thanks to a myriad of depth signings and more than a few promising draft picks, there really is only one big name that will be a mainstay on the Carolina Hurricanes roster.
That man is Jesper Fast, who signed during the opening weeks of Free Agency a few months ago, coming from the New York Rangers. Fast, who wore an ‘A’ in his final years as a Ranger has been a locker room player who can more than deliver on the ice.
His addition to the team can easily be considered a fast and easy replacement for Justin Williams (pun wholly intended there) but in reality, he is actually the kind of player that not only can contribute offensively but also bring some leadership experience and motivation to a suddenly much younger team.
That is going to be needed when you look at a schedule that shoves 56 games in only four months. What else is going to be needed is depth at every level. That means an extended roster that will see the likes of Jake Bean, Morgan Geekie, and even Joey Keane get more ice time than they normally would have during a normal season.
Other players such as first-round draft picks Ryan Suzuki and Seth Jarvis might also see some ice time if injuries require it. Unlikely, but still possible.