The Carolina Hurricanes saw two key players return to practice on Monday. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere participated for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury during a game in Los Angeles on October 18. He skated with Jalen Chatfield and took his usual role on the power play, showing no signs of restriction.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour commented on Gostisbehere’s status, saying, “I hope so. I’m not really sure. We just practiced, so I haven’t talked to him, but every time you see him out in a regular color jersey, going full, that’s a good sign. So I think it’ll just come down to whether he feels comfortable enough with really one practice to get back out there, but I’m hopeful.”
Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov also returned after missing time due to a lower-body injury sustained before opening night. All three rostered goaltenders were present at practice. Brind’Amour said about Kochetkov, “I think (Kochetkov) looked good today. So again, I would anticipate, if it’s not tomorrow, very, very soon that he’ll be able to get back in there.”
Despite these returns, the team remains without defensemen Jaccob Slavin and K’Andre Miller due to lower-body injuries. Brind’Amour indicated that Slavin is still some time away from returning while Miller could be back soon.
Forwards William Carrier and Eric Robinson are also sidelined with injuries but are not expected to require surgery. Brind’Amour clarified their situations: “I don’t think either of them needs (surgery), but when I say a while, for me, a while is a week, missing four games or whatever. That’s a lot, and it’s going to be more than that, unfortunately. But I don’t think either one of them is in need of anything major.”
