Hurricanes' Hamilton ready to play if season continues

Carolina Hurricanes star blue-liner Dougie Hamilton is healthy again and ready to play if the 2019-20 NHL season resumes.

"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," Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said, according to The Associated Press. "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."

Hamilton fractured his fibula in January and underwent surgery. The 26-year-old was having a career season before the injury, posting 40 points in 47 games to earn a trip to what would have been his first All-Star Game.

The Hurricanes sat in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 81 points when the league went on pause March 12.