Blue Line Reinforcements: Chatfield & Lajoie

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes were hit with some unfortunate news to start the week, as Monday morning the club announced that defensemen Brett Pesce and Tony DeAngelo have entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.

The two now join Ethan Bear, who tested positive one week ago today in San Jose.
This presents a lineup dilemma for the roster, as the three make up the team's entirety of their right-handed shooting defensive options. Brendan Smith has stepped into the lineup, moving Ian Cole to the right side for the team's four most recent games, however, with no other options of either handedness available on the roster, two more bodies became in need.
Enter Jalen Chatfield and Maxime Lajoie, who were recalled this evening from the Chicago Wolves, the team's American Hockey League affiliate.
Of course, it is hard to replace a top-five scoring defenseman (DeAngelo) and a stable two-way anchor that also contributes on the power play (Pesce), however, the options coming up are NHL-capable, for certain.

Chatfield, 25, has totaled seven points in 17 games from the blue line this season for Chicago. His right-handedness playing an important factor, given the above circumstances, will give him his second stint in the NHL, after having spent the entirety of last season with the Vancouver Canucks.
"Jalen is a very good skater with good quickness," began Ryan Warsofsky, Head Coach of the team's top minor league affiliate in Chicago. "He has a good identity in who he is as a defenseman. He can play all areas of the ice, all situations. He's very reliable defensively, and that's what stood out when talking to Rod. He's more than ready for this opportunity."
Lajoie, 24, has recorded eight points in Chicago's 17 games this season, pacing the Wolves defensemen. With plenty offensive upside, the left-handed blueliner played in 62 games over the course of three seasons with the Ottawa Senators, before coming to the Canes. Last season he dressed in a pair of playoff games for the club.
"He's gotten better each and every game. He's very consistent," Warsofsky then said of his left-handed defenseman. "Max plays the right way and the way we want both organizations to play. He can move pucks, make good decisions with it and he can bring some offense."

Canes management echoed a similar belief in the reinforcements and spoke on how being prepared for situations like this is a core value of the franchise.
"Jalen and Max have been leading the back end for the Wolves this season. We need our defensemen to play fast, and the two of them excel at it," Canes Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke offered. "They know our system well, and they're ready to contribute."
It remains to be seen how long DeAngelo and Pesce will be in protocol and the only information available regarding Ethan Bear is that he remains in the team's hotel that they stayed in in San Jose until at least Wednesday, December 1.
"Part of our organizational philosophy involves contingency planning," Canes Assistant General Manager Eric Tulsky remarked. "Every team has some bad breaks, and we try to make sure we are well-positioned to handle adversity when things do not go the way we hoped they would. That includes having an AHL roster with both veterans and high-end prospects who are ready to step in and perform well."
Chatfield and Lajoie are expected to be available for the team's game against the Dallas Stars tomorrow night in the Lone Star State.
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