Hurricanes Will Have To Make Decisions With Defense Moving Forward

The Carolina Hurricanes have shown their great organizational depth through a ton of injuries this season. Even right now, they are currently playing without Jaccob Slavin, K'Andre Miller, Seth Jarvis, and Alexis-Charles Legault.

While the Hurricanes' forward depth is another discussion with someone like Taylor Hall playing on the fourth line, the defense is the focus here. Carolina has arguably 10 defenseman that could be on the roster and contributing, all of whom have played at least a game in the NHL for the Hurricanes this season.

This list includes everyday defensemen like Slavin, Miller, Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker, Jalen Chatfield, Alexander Nikishin, Joel Nystrom, Mike Reilly, Legault, and Domenick Fensore.

Of the 10, only Reilly is a UFA after the season. Nikishin has to be re-signed, which he will be, and Fensore should be as well. Slavin and Miller are only in their first of eight-year deals, so they aren't going anywhere, and Gostisbehere is too valuable offensive while being signed for another year to move on from. Then there's Walker, signed for three more years, and Chatfield, signed for one more, who have both played regularly in the top-4 this season. If need be, Chatfield can shift down to the third pairing though.

Nystrom, with just 24 games of NHL experience, was given a four-year deal at an inexpensive price tag. This means that the Hurricanes will have seven could-be regulars on the roster next season, then also have Legault and Fensore in the minors, and Reilly headed to free agency. With no injuries, there's going to be someone not very happy sooner or later with the setup, either playing minimal minutes or sitting in the press box.

Over the course of the next year, one of Slavin, Miller, Gostishebere, Walker, Chatfield, Nikishin, or Nystrom will seemingly need to go. Maybe someone is included in a big deal this year or next, maybe an offseason deal, or they ride it out until the 2027 offseason and make a tougher decision with Gostisbehere or Chatfield then. Nikishin will likely take over for Gostisbehere's role, while Nystrom may move into Chatfield's role in the near future.