A quick look at the Hurricanes defense…
As the 2022 preseason begins, the Carolina Hurricanes have their first two defensive lines seemingly set in stone, with a wealth of options available for their third pairing. However, having multiple options leaves head coach Rod Brind’Amour with some difficult decisions.
Out were one half of the defensemen that Brind’Amour had active for all of Canes playoff, including leading defensive scorer Tony DeAngelo as well as third defensive pairing Ian Cole and Brendan Smith. Just a quickly as DeAngelo left the organization (via trade to Philadelphia), the Canes secured his replacement — six-time all-star and 2017 Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns. The 37-year-old Burns is not the player he was in his prime, but his role hadn’t diminished for his previous team as he got older — his 26:09 average ice time per game were a career high, as he logged more minutes on ice than any other skater last season. Burns won’t need to log that kind of ice time in Carolina, which may keep Burns fresher and potentially rejuvenate him. Burns is expected to pair with Jaccob Slavin (who paired with DeAngelo most of last season), while the second pair of Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei seems to be handcuffed to each other going into the upcoming season.
The third pair is the question. From the right side, there are several possibilities. Ethan Bear began last season paired with Slavin until a battle with COVID saw him out for several weeks, then upon his return he struggled to see regular ice time, either bumped down to the third pairing or in the press box as a healthy scratch. Bear admitted that his battle of COVID affected his health even after he returned, and did not feel at 100%. Bear is looking to bounce back this season, having re-signed a one year deal to return to the organization, but rumors persist that Bear is on the market as the team may have moved on from him.
Dylan Coghlan was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights during the offseason along with forward Max Pacioretty for what Hiro-san had in the box on Wheel Of Fish:
While Pacioretty was the dirt bike that your friend needed you to take to the dump for him which you decided to keep anyway (where the brake line snaps on it the first time you ride it, but that’s besides the point), Coghlan was the six-pack your friend gave you for the trouble. Coghlan, signed as an undrafted free agent out of junior by Vegas, spent two years in the AHL (with the Chicago Wolves, no less — Chicago was Vegas’ AHL affiliate at the time), then spent the last two seasons with Vegas trying to make his way into the lineup, playing in 88 games during those two seasons. Coghlan has some offensive skill, potting 26 goals in his two AHL seasons, and saw extended power play time in the first two preseason games this season. Between the power play time, four assists in two games, and some added grittiness, the North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette thinks Coghlan shouldn’t worry about waivers.
Then there’s Jalen Chatfield. Picked up last offseason for AHL depth or out of guilt for signing Tony DeAngelo, Chatfield took a step forward at the AHL level, which got him a callup look for 16 games at the NHL level, where he impressed Rod Brind’Amour and later earned himself a two-year extension, with the second year a one-way deal. That type of contract seems to be common now for teams signing AHL/NHL tweeners to deter teams from claiming a player on waivers that first season, knowing that second guaranteed full-priced year is also part of the package. Chatfield’s got a big boy number now too (switching from 64 to 5), so while he might be behind Bear and Coghlan on the depth chart, he could stay with the team in the Brendan Smith/7th defender role, waiting for his opportunity.
But what about the left side? The Canes, with three viable right-handed shot options, could just elect to play one of those on their off side, but if they wish to have a true lefthanded shot for the third pair, a returning familiar face is likely the leading candidate. Calvin de Haan, who signed a four-year deal with the Hurricanes back in 2017, only spent one of those years in Carolina before being shipped off to Chicago the following offseason and spending the remainder of that contract with the Blackhawks. de Haan struggled with injuries during those years, and returns to Raleigh a player without the shine and promise he had when he originally signed that contract. de Haan will be 31 this season, and is in camp on a professional try out (PTO), so there is no obligation for him to be on the roster this season. If he’s healthy, he’s Ian Cole with better personal decision-making skills. But that’s a big “if”, and he may not want to take a two-way deal and end up in the AHL waiting for an opportunity if he doesn’t make the main roster. I’m pulling for the Carp lad, but he’s no lock to make the roster.
There are other possible (but less likely options) on the left side — Max Lajoie would probably be a third pairing defenseman on a decent amount of NHL teams, but the Canes don’t seem to see him as an option and will try to send him through waivers again, where he could clear and be in a top pair for the Wolves, or he could get claimed and maybe end up like Gustav Forsling. William Lagesson is a strong, physical defenseman who signed with the Canes this offseason to a two-way deal, but will need to show something special during the preseason to break through the logjam in front of him on the depth chart. Probably the most interesting defenseman in camp, for me at least, is Grigori Dronov. Dronov, an undrafted 24-year-old, has played for KHL team Metallurg Magnitogorsk for the last six seasons. Dronov was in the Arizona Coyotes’ development camp this summer, then played for the Hurricanes in the recent Prospect Showcase event before being invited to training camp. Dronov is unsigned, only in camp as a PTO, but seemingly has impressed enough to have gotten this far. If the team signs Dronov, since it will be his first NHL contract, it will fall under the “entry level contract” terms, meaning a two-way deal for a maximum of $950,000 at the NHL level, and Dronov would not be subject to waivers. Dronov played 14 minutes against Florida in the Canes second preseason game — the least of all the defensemen by a full four minutes — so he’s unlikely to make the NHL roster, but if the Canes can sign him and convince him that he has a future with the Hurricanes, they might have a diamond in the rough.
