Jaccob Slavin returned to practice with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday for the first time in nearly two months. The defenseman, who has been sidelined by a lower-body injury for most of the season, participated in a yellow “no contact” jersey.
Slavin had previously been skating alone as he recovered from his injury, which kept him out of all but two games this season. His presence at practice marks progress in his rehabilitation, though he is not yet ready to return to game action.
“I don’t think Slavo’s too close yet, but it’s great to see him out there. That’s his first practice [since the injury] with us. It’d be nice to get him in a real jersey if he was close, but at least it’s a step in the right direction,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said after practice.
Slavin missed most of training camp due to a similar issue and did not participate in preseason games. He played during the team’s season opener on October 9 but was unable to finish the game on October 11. Brind’Amour announced shortly after that Slavin would be out indefinitely.
Despite injuries on their blue line, including Slavin’s absence, the Hurricanes have maintained a strong record this season at 16-7-2 through their first 25 games.
Brind’Amour noted that having Slavin back at practice benefits both the player and his teammates: “I think that’s the key, for him, to get in the mix again. He’d been out for a couple of months. For our group, too, it’s nice for them to see that we’ve got a guy coming [back] here hopefully soon. Everything we’re doing now is to ramp him up.”
In addition to Slavin’s return, Jesperi Kotkaniemi practiced without restrictions after being limited by a lower-body injury since November 14 and placed on injured reserve on November 25. Brind’Amour indicated Kotkaniemi is “getting closer” to returning.
Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov also joined practice for the first time since experiencing health issues during morning skate in Winnipeg on November 21. Kochetkov had dealt with similar problems earlier this year. Brind’Amour said decisions about Kochetkov’s return will depend on how he feels: “It’s kind of up to him how he feels,” Brind’Amour stated. “We’ll have a better update tomorrow, but hopefully he’ll be in the mix here soon.”
The team practiced at Lenovo Center during a rare three-day break between games.
