Over the last few seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes have had one of the best defensive units in the NHL. When a defense that includes the names of Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, etc. it is no surprise that the Hurricanes will usually be top five in the league. Almost every defenseman on their roster could be considered top-four, and one player in particular, Jalen Chatfield, has made himself a mainstay in the lineup.
Welcome to Chatmandu
In 2022-23, Chatfield played his first full season with the Hurricanes. Heading into training camp, it was unclear who would land a spot on the third pairing, especially after management brought in Calvin de Haan on a professional tryout along and Dylan Coghlan in the Max Pacioretty trade that summer. These were the three players fighting for the last two starting spots. In the end, de Haan signed a one-year deal, and Chatfield secured his place before the season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
During the 2021-22 season, Chatfield managed to play in 16 games for Carolina, tallying three assists during his tenure that year. He earned some playing time due to injuries while bouncing back and forth between Carolina and their then-American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He scored six goals and 18 points in 44 games with the Wolves that season and one goal and three assists in the 15 playoff games en route to the Calder Trophy.
During the course of his career, Chatfield has tried to give himself a chance to be a mainstay on an NHL roster. Before playing with Carolina, he had some NHL time as he played for the Vancouver Canucks for 18 games during the 2020-21 season. In Carolina last year, he was able to prove his worth as an everyday NHL starter. Over the course of the 2022-23 season, he went on to set career-highs in goals (six), assists (eight), points (14) and games played (78).
Chatfield scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 22 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The goal call from the Hurricanes’ Mik Maniscalco was brilliant, but it was color analyst Tripp Tracy, who coined the phrase that stuck: “Going to Chatmandu.”
This photo taken by Carolina’s social media team with Chatfield and his milestone puck shows his personality, and Hurricanes fans call him “Chatty”. He took five more trips to Chatmandu that season, finishing with six goals.
Big Season for Chatfield in Contract Year?
Chatfield is entering the final season of his two-year deal worth $762,500 per year, less than one percent of the team’s cap space. If he wants to remain in Carolina, he will have to fight off some tough competition. The defense in Carolinas has gotten stronger over the offseason.
Right now, Carolina has nine defensemen on the roster. Chatfield made his case last season for a spot in the opening-night lineup. However, he has competition with Tony DeAngelo, Caleb Jones, and Dylan Coghlan who all want ice time as well. The addition of Dmitry Orlov creates more of a log jam at the position that includes Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns as the team’s top pair. It is unclear how the Hurricanes will deal with the log jam at the position, especially with many players who will become unrestricted free agents after the season.
Carry the Momentum
Chatfield will hope to carry last season’s momentum into 2023-24 and earn an extension, maybe even a two or three-year deal with an average annual value between $2 million-$2.5 million. That being said, with the depth Carolina has for the defense, he will need to build off of last season and prove that he belongs to stay with the Hurricanes. Expect some memorable trips to Chatmandu for Chatfield and the Hurricanes this season.
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