Who will be on the blueline tonight for the Carolina Hurricanes?
That’s the million dollar question right now as the team prepares for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Final series against the Florida Panthers.
The Hurricanes have been missing the services of veteran defenseman Jalen Chatfield, who’s been a top-four staple for the Canes all year.
Chatfield was injured in the team’s last series against the Washington Capitals and has since missed Carolina’s last two games.
The defender was practicing this morning and is nearing a return, but his status is still up in the air for tonight.
In his place, the Hurricanes have alternated between a duo of rookie defensemen: Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow.
The issue is that neither player has really distinguished himself.
“Those are our two options if Chatty can’t go,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour Thursday morning. “I think for both, it’s a tough spot to put them in. Rookies who haven’t had a lot of NHL experience. One guy that doesn’t understand English that well. It’s just not ideal for this time of year. I think those two are our best options and if Chatty can’t go, it will be one of them. Scotty, I think he understands our game better because he’s been playing it for a year and the flow of playing one game and coming right back to another game I think is a consideration. Those are all things we’ll have to figure out if Chatty is unavailable.”
Nikishin played in Game 5 against the Capitals and had two egregious turnovers in the early goings of the game (one of which ended up in a goal although it was ultimately called back for offsides) and only played a little more than 10 minutes.
Morrow played in Game 1 against the Panthers and was a -3 in 12:18 of ice time.
At this point, we’re really splitting hairs over who’s the better option because the truth of the matter is that neither seems ready for the moment.
The Canes really just need Chatfield to play.
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