The Carolina Hurricanes are heading out for their longest road trip of the season, a two-week, six-game affair, but they could potentially be without two big pieces as they embark.
The team will definitely be without goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, at least for the start of it.
The 26-year-old netminder was set to miss at least a week of action after getting evaluated for a lower-body injury last Friday, but Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour is hopeful that he'll at least be able to eventually join the team out west.
"He's not starting on the trip, but we're hoping that he can get out there at some point," Brind'Amour said Monday morning.
Frederik Andersen is expected to get the bulk of the work in Kochetkov's absence, but the team does plan to play Brandon Bussi at some point on the trip.
"I'm pretty sure we'll put Brandon in there," Brind'Amour said. "I don't know when, but we don't want to overdo Freddie at the start of the season."
Bussi, who hasn't started a game in the NHL yet in his career, has been with the team for about a week since getting picked up on waivers.
The second missing piece for Carolina is potentially Jaccob Slavin.
The team's number one defenseman did not play at the end of the team's 4-3 overtime victory on Saturday and was missing from practice on Monday as well.
"He's getting looked at again," Brind'Amour said. "He didn't feel great at the end of the game."
Slavin missed the entire preseason and a good chunk of training camp with what many have speculated to be a right-knee injury.
Brind'Amour confirmed today that while Slavin didn't have any surgeries or procedures done over the summer, the current ailment is related to what kept him out during camp.
It's still to be determined whether or not Slavin will make the trip.
With Slavin absent, Mike Reilly is expected to draw into the lineup for the first time as a Hurricane.
He was paired up alongside Jalen Chatfield during Monday's practice.
The team will start the trip on Tuesday with a game against the San Jose Sharks.
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