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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 21: Head coach Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes watches his team play against the Minnesota Wild during the first period of the game at PNC Arena on January 21, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour has delivered some much-anticipated injury news regarding his top defender. Jaccob Slavin has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 11. Due to the setback, the American defender has missed his team’s last six games.
Unfortunately for Canes fans, Slavin is set to remain on the sidelines for the near future.
Brind’Amour spoke to reporters on October 27, following his team’s latest practice. According to NHL.com reporter Peter Dewar, the veteran coach claimed that Slavin is still “a little ways away” from returning to the lineup. While Brind’Amour did not provide a return date for the blueliner, he will likely not feature in the team’s next few matchups.
Slavin was previously held out of all of the Canes’ preseason preparations due to an injury. During this time, he was seen wearing a knee brace while giving a pep talk to NC State’s football team. He did, however, manage to return to the starting lineup to start the regular season. Nevertheless, Eagle-eyed Canes fans noticed that Slavin was once again wearing the brace after the aforementioned matchup with the Flyers.
Hurricanes Hit by Injury Bug to Start Season
GettyJaccob Slavin is one of six injured Hurricanes players.
Slavin is far from the only injury issue for the Canes at the moment. Fellow defenders K’Andre Miller and Shayne Gostisbehere have missed action due to injuries as well. Up front, Brind’Amour also lost forwards Eric Robinson and William Carrier during a victory against the Colorado Avalanche on October 23. The two wingers are expected to be long-term absentees for the Canes looking ahead.
Brind’Amour, however, has given positive updates on the other two blueliners. Gostisbehere managed recover enough to be a full participant at practice on October 27. Miller, on the other hand, should return to the ice in the coming days. The coach claimed that the former New York Ranger is set to feature again “around the corner.”
Along with these five skaters, the Canes have also been without goalkeeper Pyotr Kochetkov. The Russian has yet to feature so far this season due to a lower-body injury. Like Gostisbehere, Kochetkov was also able to return to the ice with his teammates. It remains to be seen if he will be used as backup to veteran goalie Frederik Andersen against the Las Vegas Golden Knights on October 28, or if Brind’Amour will stick with Brandon Bussi for now.
Canes Navigate Tough Road Trip Without Key Players
Despite all of these early injury issues, the Canes have managed to remain hot to start the season. After a quick two-game homestand to start the campaign, the Canes just completed six matchups out west on the road. Without multiple important players, the team picked up victories in four of these away games. The final four games on the trip included contests against 2024/25 playoff teams.
Canes defender Jalen Chatfield was asked about the team’s strong 6-2 start after Monday’s practice. “It shows what kind of team we have,” Chatfield told reporter Walt Ruff. “We have guys that stepped up, guys we called up, guys playing more minutes. We’ve got a couple of good wins, and still have a lot to learn, but overall, it was a pretty good trip.”
The Canes will look to keep pace with the streaking 8-1 New Jersey Devils when they face Vegas and the New York Islanders at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh over the coming days. The Devils have won eight consecutive games following their opening night loss to Carolina.
Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has covered the NHL for Heavy.com since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore
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