The Carolina Hurricanes look to be nearing full power just in time for the start of the postseason, but a fully healthy roster means that more than one player is going to be sitting come Game 1 against the New Jersey Devils.

With eight defensemen and 14 forwards on the active roster, that means the Canes will need to sit at least four players, so Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour will have some tough decisions to make.

I took a stab at guessing who might be sitting out for Game 1:

Givens

Tyson Jost

While Jost has been a good solider for the Hurricanes — and let's be honest, nobody expected him to play as many games as he did this season — he's the first option to draw out of the lineup.

In 39 games, Jost had four goals, nine points and a 45.2% faceoff win percentage while playing just over 10 minutes a night.

Make no mistake though, his heart is there. Jost finished off the regular season with 46 hits and 17 blocks and played through quite a few tough blows and injuries.

He's a great teammate, a positive person and if the need does arise, he'll be ready.

Scott Morrow

Morrow got a good run of games for Carolina in the last quarter of the season, and while he's shown flashes of his offensive potential, it's also clear he still has plenty of room to grow defensively.

Morrow had a goal and six points in 14 games with Carolina, playing just under 16 minutes a night.

He's since been reassigned to the Chicago Wolves, where he'll help try to lead them on a run to the Calder Cup.

Riley Stillman

Stillman had routinely been the team's seventh defenseman throughout the regular season, traveling and practicing with the team, but only drew in for five games.

I don't expect him to be anything more than the eighth or ninth option for the playoffs, but still, he's a veteran presence that's there if needed.

The Potential Is There

Jack Roslovic

As weird as it is to say about a 20+ goal scorer, Roslovic has been one of the more frustrating players to watch for Carolina this season.

The winger/center finished the season with 22 goals and 39 points in 81 games, but also had the worst +/- on the team (-10).

There's plenty that the forward does well: scoring 20+ goals is nothing to scoff at and he had a 54.1% faceoff win percentage, but he isn't physical, doesn't play a direct, forechecking style that the Hurricanes are known for and was credited with 63 giveaways this season.

He also has just five goals since the start of the new year and Brind'Amour has demoted him to the fourth line as of late too.

Alexander Nikishin

Despite what the fanbase may want, the odds of the Russian standout breaking into the lineup come Game 1 with only a single practice under his belt is certainly low.

Don't get me wrong, the KHL standout is a three-zone, all-situations player that I'm sure will be a lineup staple come next season, but I don't know if there's any way that he can prove himself before Sunday's opener.

I won't say it's impossible for the Russian prodigy, and if there's an injury, I would expect him to be the first guy to step into the lineup.

No... But Maybe?

Eric Robinson

While Robinson brings a steady, heavy and direct game, does he bring enough oomph to the lineup? That's the ultimate question surrounding the veteran winger.

Robinson had a career year with 14 goals, 32 points and 123 hits, playing in all 82 games this season, however, he has just 12 points since the start of the new year.

But his style of play (fast, physical and direct) is built for playoff hockey, he can kill penalties, and he's versatile, so while I could see it, it'd still be a tough call.

Shayne Gostisbehere

Now this one is a bit of a hot take for sure, but stick with me for a moment.

For one, Gostisbehere has spent a decent chunk of the season out due to injuries and most notably, he missed a few of the team's final games due to a back concern.

Second, Gostisbehere actually has the least amount of 5v5 points (13) amongst all of the regular six blueliners for Carolina.

His biggest role is running the power play, and if it isn't clicking, does it make sense to have Gostisbehere in the lineup?

I will say that I think Gostisbehere has been pretty good defensively this season after a tough stretch in November/December, but he has been pretty sheltered as well.

Scoring is such a commodity in the playoffs and the Canes haven't had blueline production this low in quite a while, so a guy like Nikishin could perhaps be a big boost for the team, but it would require quite a change in team philosophy and decision making.

I don't think there's actually a chance that Gostisbehere sits out for Game 1, but if things start getting dicey...

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