With a hole on their blue line and a road trip on the horizon, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Roland McKeown from Charlotte.
This marks the first NHL recall for McKeown, who has played in all nine of the Checkers’ games this season and totaled three points (1g, 2a). The 21-year-old made Carolina’s opening night roster as a rookie last season but did not appear in any games. McKeown ended up spending his rookie campaign in Charlotte, where he recorded 11 points (1g, 10a) in 71 games.
The addition of McKeown gives Carolina seven defensemen heading into their two-game swing out west, as Brett Pesce was ruled out for the trip due to a concussion. The Checkers, who are preparing to embark on a three-week road trip starting Friday, now have seven blue liners on their roster, though some remain question marks. Trevor Carrick missed both of last weekend’s games due to injury but has returned as a full participant to practice this week, while Jake Chelios has been absent from practice. Neither players’ status for the weekend is known.