Hurricanes’ Dougie Hamilton ready to return if season resumes

Watch as Dougie Hamilton gets tangled up with Kevin Stenlund and then falls awkwardly forcing him to leave the game with an apparent injury.

Carolina Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell said All-Star defenceman Dougie Hamilton would be ready to play if the season resumes after breaking his left leg in January.

Hamilton needed surgery and had been listed as out indefinitely before the season was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a video conference with reporters Thursday, Waddell said Hamilton’s rehab has gone well and that he would soon start work on the ice.

Waddell said there was no need for Hamilton to rush back on the ice in his recovery with the season suspended.

“If we were playing today, we would’ve sped up that on-the-ice performance over the last couple of weeks, so he’s ready to go,” Waddell said. “And just a matter of time before we put him on the ice and move forward from there. But yes, he’ll be ready to play when we drop the puck.”

Additionally, Waddell said goaltender James Reimer is healthy again after being sidelined in February with a lower-body injury, noting he was close to returning when the season was suspended.

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