Hurricanes' Joel Nystrom: Headed to AHL

Nystrom has been assigned to AHL Chicago, the team announced Sunday.

Despite just signing a four-year extension, it's Nystrom who is the roster casualty for the Hurricanes with the return of Jaccob Slavin (lower body) from injured reserve. It makes sense given the 23-year-old doesn't require waivers to be moved down to the AHL. He departs the NHL roster with five assists and a plus-3 rating in 24 games played, but he will likely be the first call-up should another injury strike the Carolina defense corps.