On Friday night, after the Hurricanes' 3-0 shutout of Washington, I talked to Zac Dalpe (click to listen) about his back-and-forth season between Charlotte and Raleigh, and the conversation ended with the following exchange (off the mic):
Me: "I'm heading to Charlotte next Friday. Hopefully I won't see you there."
Dalpe: "Yeah (laughs), me too."
Well...looks like I may see a familiar face when I head to the Queen City on Friday after all.
The Canes on Tuesday reassigned Dalpe to the Charlotte Checkers, who play three times during the NHL All-Star break beginning tonight in Norfolk and continuing with a back-to-back set Thursday and Friday against Rockford at Time Warner Cable Arena.
But don't panic. The Canes did this last year too, sending Zach Boychuk to Charlotte during the All-Star break to keep him fresh. I'd be stunned if Dalpe wasn't on the shuttle back to Raleigh next weekend. In all honesty, Justin Faulk likely would have been reassigned too had he not been selected to participate in All-Star weekend in Ottawa.
The release from the team is after the jump.
HURRICANES REASSIGN ZAC DALPE TO CHARLOTTE
Forward played in three games during most recent NHL recall
RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has reassigned forward Zac Dalpe to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Dalpe, 22, played in all three of Carolina’s game following his Jan. 18 recall from Charlotte. Thus far this season, the Paris, Ont., native has played in 16 NHL games with the Hurricanes, scoring one goal and earning two assists (3 points). In 23 AHL games this season with Charlotte, Dalpe (6’1", 195 lbs.) has notched nine goals and earned seven assists (16 points). The Hurricanes drafted Dalpe in the second round, 45th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.