- Seth Jarvis lands on the Hurricanes’ injured non-roster list to open the season
- Carolina also waived Juuso Valimaki and sent two prospects down to AHL Chicago
- Read below for the surgery timeline and who fills Jarvis’ spot up front
Seth Jarvis is starting the season on the shelf.
The Carolina Hurricanes placed their leading goal scorer on the injured non-roster list Sunday, making it official that the reigning Stanley Cup champions will open the year without him.
NHL.com’s Walt Ruff broke down the full set of Carolina roster moves Sunday afternoon. Here’s the rundown:
The surgery in June repaired a torn labrum and rotator cuff, an injury Jarvis played through for two full seasons before finally going under the knife this summer.
That timeline pointed to a four-to-six-month recovery, putting his return somewhere between late October and December. Sunday’s move lines up with that window and could keep him out for a big chunk of the first half. Carolina had already ruled him out for opening night earlier this month.
He sounded upbeat about the shoulder when camp opened two weeks ago, telling NHL.com’s Kurt Dusterberg he felt ahead of schedule in his rehab.
“Last I checked I was a little ahead of schedule, so I’ll just keep rehabbing as hard as I can,” Jarvis said. “It’s been a long grind, but I can start to kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked about the timeline and made clear nobody in Carolina is in a rush.
“He looks good, he’s skating well,” Brind’Amour said. “But I can promise you, they’re not going to rush him back. He’s got to keep progressing along and getting stronger. When he’s ready, he will let us know and we’ll get him in as soon as we can.”
His absence leaves a hole in Carolina’s top six. He led the team with 32 goals last season and finished with 66 points, right in line with the 67-point seasons he put up the two years before that.
Felix Unger Sorum skated next to Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov in Saturday’s preseason game but didn’t do enough to lock down the spot before getting sent to AHL Chicago on Sunday. Nikolaj Ehlers looks like the more likely option, sliding up from his usual third-line spot next to Jordan Staal.
Carolina also placed defenseman Juuso Valimaki on waivers for the purpose of reassignment and sent forward Bradly Nadeau down to Chicago alongside Unger Sorum.
That kind of impact is exactly why the timeline matters. Watch the goal that tied Game 2 of last season’s Stanley Cup Final:
Carolina won’t have that swagger available to start the year. The Hurricanes are banking on the wait being worth it once Jarvis is back to full strength.
