Game Preview: Canes vs. Panthers

It’s a light lineup on both sides for tonight’s game, as both teams have decided to get some final looks at their prospects and bubble players as the preseason winds down. While Carolina hasn’t posted any lines for tonight, the roster consists of the following players:

• Mike Reilly

• Ryan Suzuki

• Alexander Nikishin

• Josiah Slavin

• Gavin Bayreuther

• Bradly Nadeau

• Frederik Andersen

• Felix Unger Sorum

• Noel Gunler

• Givani Smith

• Tyson Jost

• Justin Robidas

• Ivan Ryabkin

• Oliver Kylington

• Kevin Labanc

• Charles Alexis Legault

• Joel Nystrom

• Nikita Quapp

• Bryce Montgomery

• Gleb Trikozov

It’s primarily the Chicago Wolves versus the Charlotte checkers, but it does give some players another chance to try and earn a roster spot. Givani Smith and Kevin Labanc have both had solid preseasons for Carolina, and while the roster is full as of right now, Carolina could make some room for them if they feel like the roster is better with them on it. Players like Legault and Nadeau are also right on the bubble and coming off of a great game on Monday night. Frederik Andersen should get the full start as well.

It’ll be interesting seeing Ivan Ryabkin in this game. It’s a better experience for him than a game at the junior level would be, but I’m not sure if he’s ready for the pros just yet. It’s a completely different beast than the USHL and to this point, I haven’t seen enough from Ryabkin. He’s certainly close to being ready for the pros, but I’m not sure if it’ll benefit him to get bottom six AHL minutes.

On Monday night, Carolina defeated Nashville for their first win of the preseason. Felix Unger Sorum scored off the rush, Nadeau scored twice and Legault scored an insurance goal in the win. The prospects all factoring in was a nice touch and it shows how many prospects are close to being contributors at the next level. While Unger Sorum may be a little further behind guys like Nadeau and Legault, plays like his goal remind me of how smart of a player he is. As for Nadeau, he has continued to get better over the course of the preseason. Carolina is in a bit of a roster crunch right now, as there’s really not a space for him, but he could force some interesting decisions. I do think that Nadeau is the first player up if Carolina either has an injury or makes a trade for a center.

Speaking of injuries, let’s talk about Charles Alexis Legault. He had another great game against Nashville, recording a few big hits and scoring a nice goal off of a bad turnover. Legault is another victim of the numbers game, but with Slavin and Chatfield still out, there’s a chance he sees some ice time early on in the year. Legault is making things difficult for the Hurricanes in the best possible way. He’s playing hard, making smart decisions and contributing in all three zones. That’s enough to get Carolina interested for sure.

Two positive pieces of news on the injury front are that Pyotr Kochetkov joined the team for practice and K’Andre Miller is out of the no contact jersey. The team isn’t going to force players into playing preseason games, especially when there aren’t many roster decisions to make regarding those players. It’s great to see the team slowly getting healthy.

Puck drop is at 6!