With the much-awaited return of Andrei Svechnikov (knee), Brendan Lemieux will be the odd man out of the Hurricanes' lineup Friday vs. San Jose. The 27-year-old scrappy left-winger signed a one-year, $800,000 contract in the offseason with Carolina and has one goal, four SOG, 31 PIMs, and a -2 plus/minus in seven games played so far in 2023-24.

Svechnikov will make his season debut tonight after suffering a knee injury and subsequent season-ending knee surgery late last season. Svechnikov, who has missed the Hurricanes' first eight games of the season, might be eased into the lineup after missing a significant amount of time but should find himself back in the top-six and top powerplay unit before long. The 23-year-old winger had 55 points (23G / 32A) in 64 games last season.

Andersen has not played since October 17th due to a upper-body injury but did back up Pyotr Kotchetkov on Tuesday and will start Thursday vs. Seattle. The 34-year-old veteran is undefeated at 2-0-0 despite his unimpressive .855 SV% and 4.14 GAA. He will face the Seattle Kraken Thursday, who have won two of their last three games but rank 28th in the NHL in goals per game (2.29).

Kochetkov has been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL after making appearances in three consecutive games for the Hurricanes. In those three games (0-3-0), Kotchetkov was unremarkable, as has been the entire Hurricanes roster to start the season, posting a 4.33 GAA and .836 SV%. The Hurricanes will turn back to the tandem of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta in between the pipes.

The Hurricanes will welcome Aho back into their lineup on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Aho has missed the last three games after suffering an upper-body injury. He has three points (1G / 2A) and eight shots while averaging 21:00 time-on-ice through three games this season. He will immediately retake his place on the Hurricanes' first line and top power-play unit.

Kochetkov will be looking for a bounce-back performance after giving up six goals on only 28 shots in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Avalanche. Widely considered to be Carolina's goalie of the future, the 24-year-old netminder will need to find his game quickly if he's going to take advantage of Antti Raanta's slow start and the injury to Freddie Andersen (upper-body). He's not the safest start on the slate, but Kochetkov and the Hurricanes are still favoured (-130) to pick up a road victory over the Lightning tonight.

The Hurricanes will hope to welcome Aho, who is listed as a game-time decision, back into their lineup on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Aho has missed the last three games after suffering an upper-body injury. He has three points (1G / 2A) and eight shots while averaging 21:00 time-on-ice through three games this season. If Aho is unable to suit up, Teuvo Teravainen will likely remain on the top line as his replacement.

Svechnikov will not play on Tuesday and it is still unclear when he will return, but it appears imminent after being a full participant in practice on Monday. Svechnikov has missed six games already for the Hurricanes and will look to have an immediate impact in their top six when he returns to the lineup. He had 55 points (23G/ 32A) in 64 games last season.

Svechnikov will not play on Tuesday and it is still unclear when he will make his return but it appears to be imminent after being unable to suit up for the Hurricanes' first six games. Svechnikov will look to have an immediate impact in the Hurricanes' top six when he returns to the lineup. He had 55 points (23G/ 32A) in 64 games last season.

It's a surprise start for Martin after Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent confirmed earlier in the day that Elvis Merzlikins would be in goal, but the Blue Jackets starter must still be feeling the effects of the illness that caused him to miss Monday's game against the Red Wings. Martin will make his third appearance of the season and will be hoping to build on a lackluster start to the campaign. The 28-year-old has allowed six goals on just 45 shots, good enough for a measly .867 SV% and a 4.54 GAA.

Kotchetkov was 1-0-0 with a .912 SV% and a 2.79 GAA with Syracuse (AHL) but has been recalled Wednesday to Carolina. The 24-year-old's promotion comes the night after Frederik Andersen left Carolina's game in the first period due to an injury. Kotchetkov returns to the big leagues, where he has a 15-7-5 record, a .908 SV% and a 2.43 GAA in 27 career NHL games played.

Despite getting the victory in each of his first two starts of the season, Andersen would have been hoping for a better start to the year following a relatively down season in 2022-23 which saw him post a .903 SV% across 34 appearances, but his performance thus far has left plenty to be desired. His perfect 2-0-0 record masks the fact that he’s surrendered eight goals on just 60 shots, good enough for a measly .867 SV% and a 3.84 GAA. The Hurricanes have one of the more capable backups in the league in Antti Raanta, and with Pyotr Kochetkov also waiting in the wings in Syracuse (AHL), Andersen will need to turn his game around fast if he wants to maintain his status as Carolina’s undisputed number one.

Aho was a late scratch to Tuesday's game thanks to the surprise upper-body injury, with the team announcing his absence just 30 minutes before puck drop. The driving force behind Carolina's offense, Aho has enjoyed a nice start to the season, picking up two goals and one assist with eight shots on goal through the first three games of the season. Teuvo Teravainen will attempt to fill the void left by Aho as he'll serve as the team's first line centre to begin Tuesday's game against the Sharks.

Despite getting the victory in each of his first two starts of the season, Andersen would have been hoping for a better start to the year following a relatively down season in 2022-23 which saw him post a .903 SV% across 34 appearances, but his performance thus far has left plenty to be desired. His perfect 2-0-0 record masks the fact that he’s surrendered eight goals on just 60 shots, good enough for a measly .867 SV% and a 3.84 GAA. The Hurricanes have one of the more capable backups in the league in Antti Raanta, and with Pyotr Kochetkov also waiting in the wings in Syracuse (AHL), Andersen will need to turn his game around fast if he wants to maintain his status as Carolina’s undisputed number one.

Carrier's status for Tuesday night's tilt against the Dallas Stars remains uncertain as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury. Carrier has sat out the last two contests for the Golden Knights and has zero points, three shots, one hit, and two penalty minutes in his only game this season.

Jost is poised to make his season debut on Tuesday against the Lightning as Victor Olofsson is expected to be a healthy scratch. In 71 games between the Sabres and Minnesota Wild, Jost scored 25 points (7G / 18A) last season. He is projected to center the fourth line between Zemgus Girgenson and Kyle Okposo.