2 Carolina Hurricanes Prospects Who Could Get Called Up This Season

As the season gets underway, players will begin to suffer injuries as they sacrifice their bodies for the sake of their team, not to mention the ever-present concern of a positive Covid diagnosis. Eventually, there will be players who will need to miss games, and others will need to be called in to replace them in the lineup. Here are two such prospects who could see some playing time on the Carolina Hurricanes this season.

Maxime Lajoie

Acquired in a trade last January in exchange for Clark Bishop, Maxime Lajoie has moved his talents from the Senators' pipeline over to the Hurricanes'. Formerly a 5th-round pick in 2016, Lajoie has already had his share of looks at the NHL, including an extended 56-game stay with Ottawa in '18-'19 that saw him put up 7 goals and 15 points. Unfortunately, Lajoie is a defenceman, and while the point production was exciting he finished that season with a +/- of -25. Since then, Lajoie hasn't gotten much time in the NHL, but that looks like it's about to change. He currently leads the AHL's Chicago Wolves DMen in scoring with 1 goal and 6 points in 11 games, but even more encouraging is his +/- sitting at a +1. Lajoie seems to have rounded his game into form, still putting up points but giving up less in his own end. It's exactly what the Canes would want to see before calling him up. If Lajoie continues to help keep the puck out of his own net, there isn't any concern that he can produce points at the offensive end of the ice. The Canes are a team that prides themselves on strong defensive play, and Lajoie is their best prospect option to fill that role.

Eetu Makiniemi

Currently, the Canes have one of the best goaltending tandems in the NHL. However, both of their main guys have a history of serious injuries leaving them out for extended periods of time. The Canes have a third-string goalie in Alex Lyon, but his history in the NHL is uneven at best, although he played well in his one game with the Canes this season. In comes Eetu Makiniemi, a 4th-round pick from 2017 currently playing his first season of pro hockey in North America, and he is making a strong impression. In 7 games with the Wolves, Makiniemi is 5-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA, a .929sv%, and 1 shutout. He already looks to be one of the better netminders in the AHL, and he's only been there a month. Makiniemi actually looks more comfortable on the smaller ice surface than he ever did in Liiga, and that's a good sign for Canes fans. Although Lyon got the call while Raanta recovered from a concussion last week, should one of their goalies miss more a more significant portion of the season, the Canes may want to have a look at Makiniemi next time around.