Hurricanes Players Avoid Surgery After Elimination
RALEIGH, N.C. – Carolina Hurricanes players Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker, and Seth Jarvis reported on Friday that they will not undergo surgery for injuries following the team’s recent participation in the playoffs, where they reached the Eastern Conference final. Chatfield, who missed the last six games due to a hip injury, as he explained, and Walker, dealing with an aggravation of a shoulder injury, will seek recovery without surgical intervention. Jarvis, the team leader in goals and points during the postseason, plans to focus on strengthening and rehabilitating a persistent right shoulder injury for the second consecutive offseason. Carolina, with an active streak of seven consecutive years winning at least one playoff series, saw their season end against the Florida Panthers, marking their third appearance in the Eastern Conference Final in that period. Chatfield, after missing the closing game of the series against Washington and the entire series against Florida, explained that the injury prevented him from reaching the necessary speed to help the team on the ice.“It’s difficult when you have that, trying to skate with that. I just couldn’t reach the speed needed to help the team on the ice.”
Jalen Chatfield
The absence of Chatfield, who usually occupied a position on the second defensive pairing, was felt even more when Walker also missed the last three games of the series against Florida, after suffering a hit from A.J. Greer that forced him to leave the game early.
Walker, who suffered a minor shoulder injury at the end of the regular season, was hoping to return if Carolina advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, but he will also not require surgery.
Jarvis, for his part, led Carolina with 10 assists and 16 points in 15 playoff games, and will focus on rehabilitation and strengthening his shoulder, similar to last summer’s strategy. Jarvis described the injury as a pain tolerance issue rather than an inhibition in activity on the ice.He played in all 15 postseason games for Carolina, scoring the tying goal in the third period of Game 5 against Florida.
“This summer, we were considering what to do with it. The season ended quite late, I don’t want to miss much time. So I will follow the same protocol as last summer of strengthening it, rehabilitating it. Hopefully, maybe I’ll use the support from the beginning of the year, and then I’ll see what happens.”
Seth Jarvis
