Jalen Chatfield first came to the Carolina Hurricanes as a free agent in July 2021, the defenseman signing a one-year, two-way contract.
Don Waddell, then the Canes’ president and general manager, said of Chatfield: “Jalen is reliable defenseman who can kill penalties.” Translation: depth signing.
Four years later, after playing 245 games for the Hurricanes and now making $3 million a season, Chatfield was described this way by coach Rod Brind’Amour: “He’s a proven NHL veteran and I think a very, very elite one.”
Chatfield once looked around the locker room to see defensemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov. Those D-men all are gone, exiting via free agency, leaving Chatfield to be one of the Hurricanes’ regulars and more familiar faces in the room.
Not that he feels like an older face, by any means.
“I’m just 29, man,” he said during preseason camp, breaking into a smile.
“But it is a little weird,” he added “I got to play two years with ‘Orly,’ that was my guy, and was around Burns for three. I learned so much from those guys, and I hate to see them go, but it’s part of the business, right?
“But we’ve got some new guys in here who can definitely play. It’s a step forward for us as a group. It’s going to be a little different, a little bit of adjusting, but that’s what camp is for.”
A year ago, the Canes brought in Sean Walker and brought back Shayne Gostisbehere, who had played for Carolina in the 2022-23 season. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin then made his much-anticipated debut with the team. After the 2025 KHL playoffs, after leaving Russia, he got in a handful of Canes playoff games, the big man undergoing what was a trial by fire.
This year’s defensive group will have K’Andre Miller, the major offseason trade acquisition from the New York Rangers. Once in Raleigh this summer, Miller soon began skating with Chatfield and was paired with him the first few days of camp.
“With the new faces, the guys who have been here have tried to show them the ropes and teach them as quick as possible,” Chatfield said.
It’s possible that Miller-Chatfield could remain a pairing. Jaccob Slavin has missed the first few days of practice as he dealt with some soreness, Brind’Amour said. The defensive combos have had Walker paired with Mike Reilly, another free agent, and Gostisbehere working with Nikishin.
“It’s quite a complex system at first,” Gostisbehere said Saturday. “But once you get it and start playing in it, it’s pretty easy to grasp and you realize if you do play that system correctly, it works pretty well.”
Brind’Amour was asked who he anticipated pairing with Slavin once the Canes’ top D-man returns to practice as opening night draws closer.
“We’re going to try a lot of different things and we’ve got a lot of options for that,” he said. “I think the way it’s going to shake out, it’s going to become pretty obvious. We might try different things, but I hope it makes clear what the best pairing is.”
Slavin with Walker, a lefty-righty pairing? Maybe. That’s one guess.
The Hurricanes play their first preseason game Monday at Lenovo Center, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m. Brind’Amour is likely to sit out most of the regulars for a look at younger guys.
Chatfield, who has dealt with a minor foot issue in camp, is eager to get the preseason behind him and get on with it. He likes the look of this Hurricanes team, what he sees in the room.
“It’s a tough league and we’ve been to the playoffs every year I’ve been here. We’ve had runs, but we just haven’t gotten the job finished. I’ve had the confidence every year, we’ve got the team, we’ve got the team, and this year is no different. We just need to come together and finish the job.”
Chatfield grew up in Michigan, a keen Detroit Red Wings fan who admired — and not many didn’t — Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Chatfield’s hockey path would be challenging, from junior hockey to the AHL and finally the NHL, first with the Vancouver Canucks for 18 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.
One thing has not changed, he said. He comes to practice every day ready to compete, as if his job is on the line.
“This is going to be my ninth year pro, which I mean is crazy, right?” Chatfield said. “Time flies. I remember being the young guy, 20 years old, coming into camp scared to walk around, nervous.
“Now it’s like I’m here, I’ve been with the team a few years and it has been a dream and a blessing.”
Hurricanes in preseason
Teams: Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning.
What: Preseason exhibition game
When: Monday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m.
Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh.