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Things continue to look worse and worse for the Carolina Hurricanes.
The team announced on Wednesday that forward Victor Rask and defenseman Brett Pesce will miss the remainder of the season with shoulder injuries. The extent of their injuries were not disclosed. This news comes just two days after Noah Hanifin was ruled out indefinitely with a concussion.
In light of the injury news, the team called up defenseman Roland McKeown from the Charlotte Checkers on emergency basis.
Rask is nearing the end of the second year of his six-year, $24 million contract with the team. The Swedish center will finish his season with 14 goals and 17 assists for a career-low 31 points. He was on pace to beat out his rookie season total of 33 points in 82 games.
Pesce will enter year one of his five-year extension with the team next season. His season comes to an end after 65 games played, wherein he logged 19 points. He was on pace to top his sophomore season total of 20 points.
McKeown gets his second NHL call-up of the season. A 2014 second-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings, McKeown was acquired by the Hurricanes in the Andrej Sekera trade at the 2015 NHL trade deadline.
The 22-year-old right-handed blueliner has had a big season as a second-year pro in Charlotte. After amassing one goal and 11 points in 71 games as a rookie, he has netted seven goals and 23 total points in 61 games. He also leads the AHL with a +35 plus/minus.
In three games with the Hurricanes earlier this season, he had two assists, two penalty minutes, and was a +1.
The official news release from the team is below.
The Carolina Hurricanes today announced that defenseman Brett Pesce and forward Victor Rask will each miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season due to shoulder injuries. The Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Roland McKeown (mick-CUE-in) on emergency from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Charlotte Checkers.
McKeown, 22, has earned two assists in three games with the Hurricanes this season. The Listowel, Ont., native made his NHL debut on Nov. 4 at Arizona and earned his first NHL points with two assists against Florida on Nov. 7. McKeown currently ranks first in the AHL in plus/minus (+35), and has totaled 23 points (7g, 16a) in 61 games for Charlotte this season. He ranks tied for first among Checkers defensemen in goals and second in points.
A second-round selection (50th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL Draft, McKeown (6’1”, 195 lbs.) has totaled 35 points (8g, 27a) in 136 career AHL games for Charlotte. He 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.