Hurricanes dealt devastating Jesper Fast injury blow before 2024-25 season
The Carolina Hurricanes added talent in NHL Free Agency to make a playoff push in 2024-25. Carolina lost a fair amount of players, but they hope the moves they made can help them make the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again. However, if they are to make the playoffs, they must do so without veteran forward Jesper Fast.
Fast underwent neck surgery back on August 6, as announced by the Hurricanes on Thursday. As a result, the Carolina forward is expected to miss the entirety of the 2024-25 season. Fast suffered a neck injury during the team’s regular-season finale on April 16, 2024, against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 32-year-old Fast has spent the last four seasons with the Hurricanes. In 2023-24, he skated in 73 games while scoring six goals and 19 points. Fast is in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with Carolina before the 2023-24 campaign. Once the Hurricanes place him on long-term injured reserve, the team will free up $2.4 million in salary cap space.
How Jesper Fast injury affects Hurricanes lineup
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Jesper Fast occupied a bottom-six role for Carolina before his injury. Historically, the Hurricanes forward can play quality minutes while providing secondary offense down the lineup. Without him, there is a bit of a hole on the right side of the team’s forward group.
As of now, PuckPedia projects Brendan Lemieux to play the third-line right wing. This would create a hole on the fourth line that is not immediately filled. Carolina has a few internal options to fill this hole, though. For example, they could move free agent signing Tyson Jost over to the right wing for this upcoming season.
Additionally, they could have prospect Jackson Blake start the season in the NHL. Blake would likely play on the third line for Carolina in the season ahead. As a result, Lemieux would slot into the fourth-line right wing role for the Hurricanes.
The team could also look to NHL Free Agency once again. There are still a number of veteran players available who could provide insurance for the Hurricanes. For instance, they could reunite with Max Pacioretty this summer. Other options include James van Riemsdyk, Mike Hoffman, and Blake Wheeler.
The Hurricanes have some time to figure this out. Carolina begins their training camp in late September, and they will use that time to make a decision on how to deal with the loss of Fast. The Hurricanes open the 2024-25 season on October 11 when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The post Hurricanes dealt devastating Jesper Fast injury blow before 2024-25 season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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