Hurricanes add to postseason depth, recall three players from AHL

Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports that the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled three players from the AHL after their seasons came to an end. 

The Hurricanes have brought up defenseman Dylan Coghlan, forward Max Comtois and goaltender Antti Raanta to serve as Black Aces during the Hurricanes playoff run. Without a salary cap or roster limit in the playoffs, the Hurricanes can bring in extra players to serve as depth during the postseason.

Coghlan played all but one game this season in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The 26-year-old posted 16 goals and 25 assists in 61 games with Springfield, while he managed to get into one NHL game with Carolina, where he was held scoreless. 

Coghlan was an NHL regular with the Vegas Golden Knights just two years ago and was dealt to Carolina alongside Max Pacioretty for future considerations back in July 2022.

Comtois also dressed in just one NHL game this season with Carolina, posting a single assist in 13:04 of ice time back on April 16. The 25-year-old spent most of his season with the Chicago Wolves, where he posted 19 goals and 25 assists in 65 AHL games. 

Comtois looked like a breakthrough player during the shortened 2020-21 season after he tallied 16 goals and 17 assists in 55 NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks. However, his point totals dropped to 16 and 19 over the next two seasons, and the Ducks elected to not qualify him last summer, leading to him becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Raanta was solid with Carolina in the two seasons before this year, dressing in 55 games and posting a 34-8-7 record with a save percentage over .910. However, this year, the 34-year-old’s play has fallen off a cliff as Raanta has struggled at both the NHL and AHL levels. 

In 24 games this season, Raanta has a 12-7-2 record with a .872 save percentage and a 2.99 goals-against average, while his AHL numbers with Chicago are even worse, as he’s 2-2-4 in eight AHL games, sporting a 3.54 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.