Injury Report: Chatfield Nearing Return

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Jalen Chatfield returned to practice with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, skating with the group for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury on Nov. 6.

An illegal check to the head from Minnesota's Tyler Pitlick left the Canes' blueliner down on the ice for an extended period before getting up and heading down the tunnel under his own power. Chatfield entered the NHL's concussion protocol and was then placed on injured reserve on Nov. 8.

Now, after skating intermittently on his own for the last week and rejoining the larger group on Tuesday, Chatfield could be in line to face off against the Wild 13 days after his early exit against them in Raleigh.

"Obviously, it means he's closer," said Canes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour. "It's going to be his call, so we'll see. He's been out for a little while, but I think if he's not in (Wednesday), I'm sure it'll be on this road trip at some point."

Chatfield's injury is just the latest for a recovering Canes blue line that has seen just two members - Alexander Nikishin and Sean Walker - skate in all 19 games thus far. But despite the absences, a rotating cast of rookies and veterans has continued to hold down the fort.

From 23-year-old Joel Nystrom, Carolina's 2021 seventh-round pick whose impact is growing on a nightly basis, to 32-year-old Mike Reilly, it's been a group effort to steady the ship while awaiting mainstays like Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere and K'Andre Miller to rejoin the lineup.

Of course, Jaccob Slavin's presence remains sorely missed on the blue line. The star rearguard has not played since Oct. 11 as he works through a lower-body injury that plagued him during training camp.

On Nov. 14, Canes GM Eric Tulsky provided an update on Slavin's status while speaking to Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick on Sirius XM's NHL Morning Skate.

"He's working through his rehab. It's sort of week-by-week; he's making progress. We are trying to play it conservatively and make sure we don't have another setback," said Tulsky.

"It just takes some time, and you want to make sure you're doing it the right way and positioning yourself to have a good stretch run into the playoffs. So we're going through that time right now where he's building things up and making sure he's ready to play, making sure that when he gets back, he's good to go."