Offseason Surgeries...
Every Stanley Cup run comes with players battling through their share of injuries, and this year's team was no different. The biggest bit of news shared by the GM during his availability was when he revealed that forwards Seth Jarvis (shoulder) and Eric Robinson (knee) have both undergone surgery. Jarvis will be out "probably 4-6 months," finally fixing the shoulder that has bothered him for years, and Robinson approximately 6-8 weeks.
"There's a very real chance that we end up with sort of an open spot in our lineup for a month or two for a young player to step in and get an opportunity to show what he can do," Tulsky said of the losses.
Doing the math, four months would make Jarvis available again at the end of October. At worst, the end of December. As for Robinson, eight weeks would still give him the green light for September's training camp, but, of course, the team will be cautious with his return.
When specifically asked about 2023 first-round draft pick Bradly Nadeau being an option for a lineup spot, Tulsky said, "He absolutely will be in the conversation if we need a call-up at the start of the year. I think it would be a good opportunity for him to get some runway."
Freddie & The Situation In Net...
The Canes' GM said he's had conversations with pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) Frederik Andersen, but preferred to keep the extent of the conversations confidential.
"We would certainly like to have him back, if that's where things go. If not, then we will wish him the best," he said.
The 36-year-old backstop went 13-2 in 16 postseason starts before a knee injury ended his run in the Stanley Cup Final.
If next season is Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as the NHL tandem, Tulsky says the Canes are "comfortable" with that. The team also expects restricted free agent Cayden Primeau back, "unless something surprising happens."
For a second consecutive year, Primeau was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL. His .916 save percentage ranked fourth among all backstops during the regular season.
"He's a very good goalie who's also capable of playing NHL games if we need him to," Tulsky continued.
Nikishin & The Blue Line...
When asked about Alexander Nikishin, whose name has been hot in the rumor mill over the last few days, Tulsky said, "He was a big piece of our team this past year, and may be a big piece going forward."
He also added, "Naturally, the one (player) who is not under contract is the one who stirs up a bunch of speculation. But, our goal is to keep taking steps anyway we can."
Contract negotiations have not moved forward because the team had other, more pressing, items to tackle first, and the Russian blueliner is a restricted free agent.
The general manager said he sees the recently re-signed Juuso Välimäki as someone who could be in the mix for the seventh spot on the blue line next season. He also said pending UFA Mike Reilly "was very, very good for us, and we'd be happy to have him back if we can get that done."
Not to be left out, he also agreed that Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom are "absolutely possibilities" for more NHL time next season, but when it comes to the seventh spot, specifically, he'd rather have a veteran there and let the younger players continue playing in the AHL.
