Jaccob Slavin participated in practice with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday for the first time in nearly two months. The defenseman wore a yellow “no contact” jersey as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury that has kept him out of all but two games this season.
Slavin had previously been skating alone before team practices, working toward his return. His presence at practice is seen as progress, though he is not yet ready for game action.
“I don’t think Slavo’s too close yet, but it’s great to see him out there. That’s his first practice [since the injury] with us. It’d be nice to get him in a real jersey if he was close, but at least it’s a step in the right direction,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour after practice.
Slavin missed most of training camp and did not play in any preseason games due to a similar issue. He played in the season opener on October 9 but was unable to finish the following game on October 11. Brind’Amour later announced that Slavin would be sidelined.
Despite missing Slavin and facing other injuries among their defensemen, the Hurricanes have achieved a 16-7-2 record so far this season, tying for the third-most wins through 25 games in franchise history.
Brind’Amour emphasized the positive impact of having Slavin back with his teammates: “I think that’s the key, for him, to get in the mix again. He’d been out for a couple of months. For our group, too, it’s nice for them to see that we’ve got a guy coming [back] here hopefully soon. Everything we’re doing now is to ramp him up.”
During Tuesday’s session at Lenovo Center, goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov also returned to practice after missing time since November 21 due to health concerns. Brind’Amour noted that Kochetkov’s return will depend on how he feels moving forward: “It’s kind of up to him how he feels,” said Brind’Amour. “We’ll have a better update tomorrow, but hopefully he’ll be in the mix here soon.”
Additionally, Jesperi Kotkaniemi practiced without restrictions after wearing a non-contact jersey while recovering from an injury sustained on November 14. Kotkaniemi has been on injured reserve since November 25 and had participated in limited activities since November 26.
Brind’Amour commented positively about Kotkaniemi’s recovery: he’s “getting closer” to being available.
The Hurricanes are currently using an extended break between games as an opportunity for injured players to work toward returning.
