-Gabriel Dorris-

The Carolina Hurricanes have most of their roster settled- barring a trade or injuries, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Michael Bunting, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Martin Necas, Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Jesper Fast, Teuvo Teravainen, and Stefan Noeson are going to find themselves on the Canes opening night roster. That doesn’t add to 12; it adds to 11. Looking at the team’s defense, Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Dmitry Orlov are all essentially locks to get a spot as well. That adds to 5, which means that this preseason there’s going to be two spots up for grabs and a battle to take them.

The Fight for Six

This battle is going to be more of a 1v1 duel than a complete warzone- the only two real contenders for this spot are Jalen Chatfield and Tony DeAngelo. Chatfield played 78 games for the Canes last year after winning a similar battle against Calvin DeHaan and Dylan Coghlan. DeAngelo put up over 50 points for the Canes during his stint with the team in the 2021-22 season and was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for a nice haul and replaced by Brent Burns after the playoffs. Both players play the same side, but that’s about where their similarities end. DeAngelo is an offensive defenseman who plays more like a forward. He can quarterback a powerplay unit, and he’s good for a decent number of points. Chatfield, on the other hand, finds his strengths in the defensive elements of his game, even though last year he did prove to have a potent shot and serious stick skills at times.

The same stick skills and speed shown above are what allowed Chatfield to play so well defensively, and he just got better as the year went on. Overall, whether Chatfield or DeAngelo end up playing on the Cane’s third pairing might end up depending on the team’s needs at any given time. Giving up too many breakaways? Put in Chatty. Completely dysfunctional powerplay? Give DeAngelo the start. I think both of these players will end up playing some time this year, but if I had to guess I would bet on Chatty to play the season opener.

The Fight for Twelve

The Canes logjam here is a good bit larger. Players who are going to be battling for this spot include young guys trying to make the next step (Ryan Suzuki, Jack Drury, Vasily Ponomarev), and older guys just looking to get some playing time and maybe a nicer contract next year (Brendan Lemieux, Zach Aston-Reese). Drury played 38 games for the Canes last year but struggled to make a major impact in any role he played, only putting up 8 points. Ponomarev is 21 and Suzuki is 22. Suzuki put up roughly .65 ppg last year, and Ponomarev’s total was just slightly higher at around .72. Ponomarev is more of a grindy, forechecking player, while Suzuki is more of a skill guy. Both guys do have potential in the NHL, but Ponomarev looks more ready today.

Looking at the older guys, Brendan Lemieux was signed to a one year, $800k contract with the Canes last year. He isn’t great at playing offense and he isn’t great at playing defense; in fact, he’s pretty bad in both categories. But he hits and fights and gets under people’s skin, and that’s why the Canes brought him in. Zach Aston-Reese isn’t your guy if you need a point scorer. He had just 14 last year in 77 games (although 10 were goals!) He is, however, an excellent player defensively. I just don’t know how well that fits in on a 4th line that will likely consist of Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teravainen and be focused on scoring just as much as not letting the other team score. He was also signed to a PTO, not a set-in stone contract, and this means that if the Canes do want him on the team, they’ll need to find a way to clear some cap.

Overall, I think Drury and Pono are the top contenders for this spot, and it will be determined by who has the better preseason. Lemieux was in my opinion more likely than not brought in to fill a 13th forward role and come in if the team was really struggling physically. Out of the five forwards I’ve talked about here, he is probably the least skilled. If I had to guess the game one starter here, I think I would go against the grain and pick Ponomarev. He’s looked really good in the rookie showcase so far and I think he’ll end up proving he’s ready this preseason.