Brett Pesce suffers concussion, will not travel on Hurricanes road trip; Canes recall Roland McKeown

In the second period of Sunday’s Hurricanes loss to the Ducks, Bill Peters changed up his bottom two defensive pairings, putting Justin Faulk with Haydn Fleury and pairing Trevor van Riemsdyk with Noah Hanifin. The one pairing that didn’t change is the one that has been the Canes’ calling card against top offensive talent, Jaccob Slavin with Brett Pesce.

Now, that one will need to change as well.

Peters announced following practice on Wednesday that Pesce suffered a concussion yesterday and will miss the Canes’ upcoming road trip to Colorado and Arizona that begins tomorrow in Denver. Pesce took a puck to the head when it rode up his stick at Tuesday’s practice and immediately left the ice. He has since entered the concussion protocol and did not practice today.

With Pesce out, Klas Dahlbeck, who has played two games this year, will draw back into the lineup. Dahlbeck has not played since the Canes’ loss in Winnipeg on October 14, in which he played almost twelve minutes. Peters did not indicate where Dahlbeck would slot into the lineup, although it could be alongside Hanifin as TVR would be the most logical fit to play with Slavin after Faulk was a bit of an adventure in that slot earlier this season. Another option would be to pair Fleury, albeit on his off side, with Slavin, and pair Dahlbeck and TVR on the bottom pairing.

We’ll find out tomorrow, when the Canes visit the Avalanche. Their flight to Denver leaves this afternoon.

Update 5:30 p.m.: The Canes decided that they want a bit of insurance, so they’ve recalled Roland McKeown from the AHL Charlotte Checkers to accompany the team on the road trip. This will be McKeown’s first NHL promotion, and should he play while with the Canes he will make his NHL debut.

McKeown has tallied three points (1g, 2a) in nine games with the Checkers this season. He was picked up along with the pick that became Julien Gauthier from the Kings for Andrej Sekera at the 2015 trade deadline. The release from the team follows.

CANES RECALL McKEOWN FROM CHARLOTTE
Defenseman to join team in Colorado

Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has recalled defenseman Roland McKeown (mic-CUE-uhn) from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Charlotte Checkers.

McKeown, 21, has registered three points (1g, 2a) in nine games with the Checkers this season. He recorded 11 points (1g ,10a) in 71 games played for Charlotte during his first professional season in 2016-17, and led Checkers defenseman with three points (0g, 3a) in five Calder Cup playoff games. The Listowel, Ontario, native was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round, 50^th overall, of the 2015 NHL Draft. McKeown was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Kings on Feb. 25, 2015, along with a first-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft (Julien Gauthier) in exchange for Andrej Sekera, and has yet to make his NHL debut.