Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell had previously called Fast’s injury a neck strain, and it appeared to tweaked after Fast was crosschecked into the boards by Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Ryan Henkel of
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Bally Sports South’s Tripp Tracy that Fast re-injured his neck in Carolina’s final regular season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and is unlikely to return this season.
Fast joined Carolina as an unrestricted free agent in October 2020 and has already played for the organisation for four years. He is not in the starting lineup this evening and has not participated in the first two postseason games. In 73 games this season, the 32-year-old finished with six goals and 13 assists.
It was his lowest offensive season since he entered the league in 2014–15 with the New York Rangers. Despite his decline in scoring this season, he continued to play a significant role in Carolina’s shutdown line alongside Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal.
Speaking before the game, Brind’Amour had a sombre tone. However, Fast has not been officially benched by the Hurricanes for the season, as they plan to reassess him in a month (source: Cory Lavalette of North State Journal).
