ELMONT, N.Y. - The Carolina Hurricanes will have a pair of players making their NHL debuts and a major return in net on Tuesday when they face the New York Islanders.
As Carolina puts a bow on its regular season with the top seed in the Eastern Conference already locked up, defenseman Ronan Seeley and forward Felix Unger Sorum will put on a Canes sweater in a game that counts for the first time.
Seeley, 24, gets the call after blossoming into a young leader with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) over the last four seasons. Skating in 264 games with the team, he's known as a defensive defenseman who was taken in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Unger Sorum, 20, will have a night he'll never forget after leading the Wolves in scoring this season with 63 points. With a massive year-over-year growth, there's a lot of excitement surrounding the second-round pick in 2023's draft.
While it remains to be seen who will come out of the lineup to make room for those two, the expectation is that the "significant players" will serve as extras for undisclosed reasons.
The pair of debutants will work in front of Pyotr Kochetkov, who returns to Carolina's crease for the first time since Dec. 20. A stunning turn of events after being called "probably out for the year" on Dec. 29, the 26-year-old was given the green light to return after a pair of rehab appearances with the Wolves over the weekend.
Playing 20 and then 40 minutes over a pair of starts, he will not be on a time restriction tonight, but that does not mean he will play the full game. The coaching staff will monitor the situation as the game progresses.
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Tonight's Projected Lineup...
Forwards
Hall - Stankoven - Blake
Ehlers - Kotkaniemi - Nadeau
Carrier - Jankowski - Deslauriers
Robinson - Brind'Amour - Martinook
Defense
Nikishin - TBD
Reilly - Legault
Seeley - Nystrom
Starting Goaltender
Kochetkov
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Injuries
Sebastian Aho (Undisclosed)
Shayne Gostisbehere (Undisclosed)
Seth Jarvis (Undisclosed)
Pyotr Kochetkov (Hip Surgery | No Timetable, Currently On Conditioning Loan With AHL Chicago)
Jaccob Slavin (Undisclosed)
Jordan Staal (Undisclosed)
Andrei Svechnikov (Undisclosed)
Scratches
N/A
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PP1: Blake, Ehlers, Hall, and Stankoven with Nikishin
PP2: Jankowski, Kotkaniemi, and Nadeau, with Miller and Walker
