May 30, 2025, 02:13 PM ET
RAILY, N.C. — Carolina Hurricane players Jalen Chatfield, Sean Walker and Seth Jarvis said Friday they have no plans to undergo surgery for their injuries after the team’s playoffs were run in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Chatfield missed Carolina’s final six games in what the defender described as a hip injury, with fellow Blue Liner Walker dealing with an exacerbated shoulder injury. Regarding Jarvis, the team’s leader in regular season goals and postseason points, the forward said he plans to work on strengthening and rehabilitating prolonged correct shoulder issues in his second straight offseason.
Carolina is the only NHL team with an active streak to win at least one postseason series for the seventh year in a row, and this year’s Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers mark their third trip to the Eastern Finals in that period.
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Chatfield had missed a closeout game for the second round series against Washington and the entire Florida series. The team never specified the nature of Chatfield’s injuries.
“It’s just something on the waist,” Chatfield said in an interview with the players at the end of the year on Friday. “It’s hard to get it and try to slide it out. I couldn’t even get that speed.
“I was able to get back on the ice before the final game, but hopefully it’s another game or two before going back. Certainly I was very close.”
Chatfield usually scored a second pair spot with Dmitry Orloff before his absence, with Carolina’s first postseason goal winning just 2:24 for the New Jersey opener. Brind’Amour, at one point, was called Chatfield and in his absence, was called “Daily” in his most optimistic update.
“It was tough watching because we were able to make it as much as we did and play against Florida,” Chatfield said.
The effects of Chatfield’s absence were exacerbated when Walker missed the final three games of the Florida series. His final appearance got a jarring open ice hit from AJ Greer and eventually came out early. At that point, Carolina beat two of the top six defensive men, playing rookies Alexander Nixin and Scott Moreau on the brink.
Walker said he suffered a minor shoulder injury late in the regular season. This had improved throughout the postseason before Greer hit “a fairly large return.” He said he hopes that Carolina will return if they advance to the Stanley Cup final, but did not require surgery.
Then there’s Jarvis. After talliing the team’s best 32 goals in 73 regular season games, they led Carolina with 10 assists and 16 points in 15 playoff games. He focused on rehabilitation and shoulder strengthening, but last year he was able to do surgery.
“We loved the place it was at the beginning of the season, in its health, strength and everything in its way,” Jarvis said. “I started slipping a bit early on, then I tart every job we did and every power we did and everything we did.
Jarvis said injuries cause pain tolerance issues than blocking ice activity, but the protective brace he returned during the season may prevent him from reaching out to catch the puck.
“So the only difference is that you can probably throw a really nice spiral,” Jarvis said of the surgery.
He played all 15 of Carolina’s postseason games and scored a cohesive goal as it turned out to be the final season of the Hurricanes in the third term of the match against Florida.
“This summer we were dancing the idea of what to do with that,” Jarvis said. “The season has been quite late. I don’t want to miss out on a lot of time, so I’ll use the same protocols as the ones I’ve rehabilitated last summer.
