Max Pacioretty made his debut with the Carolina Hurricanes against the Nashville Predators at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.
The forward, who hadn’t played this season, was activated from the injured non-roster list Wednesday. The Hurricanes did not hold a morning skate Thursday.
“I just want him to get up to game speed as quickly as possible, and then he’s going to have that adjustment period of what we’re doing,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Right now, it’s just getting his feet under him and getting back to playing in the NHL.”
Pacioretty was acquired by the Hurricanes as a defenseman Dylan Coghlan in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for future considerations July 13 but had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon Aug. 10. Original projections had him out for six months, meaning his return was more than a month ahead of schedule.
Pacioretty’s addition provides another offensive weapon for the Hurricanes, who had won a franchise-record 11 consecutive games before a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
The return of Pacioretty, at 5-on-5 and on the power play, should help Carolina (25-7-6), which has scored 3.11 goals per game (19th in the NHL).
“We hope that he’s going to bring what he’s done his whole career, which is putting the puck in the back of the net,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s a goal scorer, and you can’t have enough of that. He’s probably a little nervous, to be honest. There’s a lot going on. You’re coming to a new team, you’re coming off an injury. You don’t want to put too much on him right now. It’s just getting the rust off and feeling good about being back.”
Pacioretty is a six-time 30-goal scorer who has 642 points (323 goals, 319 assists) in 850 NHL games with the Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens.
The Hurricanes also announced that forward Ondrej Kase (concussion) has been placed on long-term injured reserve. He’s been sidelined since playing the season opener Oct. 12.
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