Carolina Hurricanes Recall Michael Leighton; Eddie Lack Placed On IR With Concussion

This evening the Carolina Hurricanes announced goaltender Eddie Lack suffered a concussion today during team practice. He has been placed on injured reserve and the team has recalled Michael Leighton from the Charlotte Checkers. Leighton will join the team in Toronto and will back up Cam Ward in Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs.

The team press release follows. We will provide updates on the situation as more details become available, in the meantime, best wishes to Eddie Lack for a speedy recovery.

RALEIGH, NC - Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has recalled goaltender Michael Leighton from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). Leighton is being recalled on an emergency basis after goaltender Eddie Lack suffered a concussion at practice on Monday.

Leighton, 35, ranks fourth among AHL goaltenders this season with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. The Petrolia, Ont., native ranks tied for seventh in the AHL with six wins, and has posted a 6-2-1 record in 10 appearances this season. In 106 career NHL regular-season games, Leighton (6'3", 186 lbs.) has compiled a 35-41-4 record, a 2.96 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in stints with Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia and Carolina. He was drafted by Chicago in the sixth round, 165th overall, in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, and signed as a free agent with the Hurricanes on Sept. 7, 2016.