Hurricanes recall goalies Nedeljkovic, Forsberg, face other trade deadline decisions
While emergency goalie David Ayres was becoming the talk of the NHL on Saturday night in Toronto, Don Waddell had other things on his mind.
Namely, two injured goalies and an injured defenseman.
Waddell, president and general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, saw both starting goalie James Reimer and then replacement Petr Mrazek leave Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs — Reimer after an early first-period collision in net and Mrazek in the second period after being hit as he tried to play the puck well outside the crease.
That’s when Ayres was introduced to the sports world, his situation and his story quickly going viral. The emergency goaltender on site for Leafs home games at Scotiabank Arena, he was needed in the Canes net and the 42-year-old created a lifetime of memories with eight saves in Carolina’s 6-3 victory.
There was euphoria after the game, Ayres being showered by water bottles from ecstatic Canes players in the locker room. On Hockey Night in Canada, he was the biggest story of the night in Canada, a Zamboni driver and part-time practice goalie who works in the Leafs organization and for the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs’ American Hockey League team.
Meanwhile, it’s likely Waddell was busily working the phone, looking for help and pressed for time.
The NHL trade deadline is Monday at 3 p.m. The Canes on Sunday called up the two goalies from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, Alex Nedeljkovic and Anton Forsberg, but may still be after a veteran NHL goalie.
Waddell also could be looking for defensive help after defenseman Brett Pesce left Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury -- Pesce had his right arm in a sling after the game.
The Canes lost all-everything defenseman Dougie Hamilton to a broken fibula on Jan. 16. Hamilton had surgery and has an expected recovery period of eight to 12 weeks, leaving open the possibility of a return in late-March or early April.
Before Saturday, that was Waddell’s most pressing concern.
“We believe in the guys we’ve got and we believe we’ll get Hamilton back at some point,” Waddell said in an interview Thursday. “If there’s something out there that we feel compelled that we want to do, then we have that option. Otherwise, if we don’t, we feel like we’re in a good spot moving forward.”
The victory over the Leafs lifted the Canes (35-22-4) into the second wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference with 74 points. The New York Islanders, with a game in hand on Carolina, were in the first wild-card spot with 74 points and the Columbus Blue Jackets also have 74 points but are just below the playoff cutline, having played more games than the Canes or Islanders.
“Right now, at this time of the year you’re talking to the GMs on a regular basis because you never know,” Waddell said Thursday. “We’re in a different kind of year this year because of all the teams that are in (playoff contention) and all the injuries. There’s a ton of injuries, for all the teams, so there’s not as many players as in years past that are available.”
Pesce’s injury will have an impact if it’s long-term. He has been one of Carolina’s steadiest players on the back end and has the grit that Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour admires and wants in the lineup. The Hurricanes released no information on any of the injuries Sunday.
Forsberg, 27, has played in 45 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. Nedeljkovic, 24, was the AHL goaltender of the year in 2018-19 and made his NHL debut last season -- his only NHL start.
If the Canes seek a trade for a goalie, they could look to the Chicago Blackhawks, an old trading partner. The Blackhawks have Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford and might be willing to part with either if presented the right deal, although Chicago’s asking price is believed to be steep — maybe too steep.
The Canes have assets available. They have two first-round picks in the 2020 NHL Draft, obtaining the second from the Leafs by acquiring forward Patrick Marleau in June 2019. It’s a conditional pick: if the Leafs have a top-10 draft selection this year, Carolina would receive Toronto’s first-rounder in 2021.
The Canes also have an extra second-round and third-round pick for the 2020 draft, giving them six in he first three rounds.
The Canes made the decision not to put Hamilton on Long Term Injured Reserve, which would have provided more salary cap relief, if needed. Hamilton has a $5.75 million cap hit.
“We don’t have a lot of cap space and we could put him on LTI if we had to,” Waddell said. “But if he’s ready to play the last six, seven games of the year we’d want him in our lineup, so you have to be careful, too. “
If Pesce is out, the Canes could recall a defenseman from the Checkers -- Jake Bean is a former first-round draft pick by Carolina, an AHL All-Star this year and effective on the power play. Or they could explore trade options.
The Canes were off Sunday and will practice Monday at 11 a.m. at PNC Arena. Their next game is Tuesday against the Dallas Stars at PNC Arena — with Ayres, invited by the Canes to come to the game, set to sound the warning siren.
This story was originally published February 23, 2020 at 6:02 PM.
