There is no way that the Canes will be able to fill Staal’s spot with another first-line center, but they could move Jordan Staal into that position. The younger Staal brother is not used to the top-line role, but he did perform it at times while he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins when Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby were injured.

Jordan Staal makes the most sense as the top center because there are virtually no other options. The Canes do not have the cap space to go out and find a star center to replace Eric Staal and the free agent market is bare. The three best centers that are unrestricted free agents are Mike Ribeiro, Derek Roy and Tyler Bozak. Jordan Staal is better than those three players and is already on the Hurricanes’ roster.

Jeff Skinner may have to play center again this season in place of Eric Staal. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Skinner could then slot in at center on the second line. The 21-year-old played center for the final three games of the season and may be the best option for the spot. The Canes will then need to find a third-line center to play that role. That could either be done in the draft, a trade or through free agency, but a third-line center is something the Hurricanes need anyways.

The biggest issue with moving lines around is that Eric Staal had chemistry with Jiri Tlusty and Alexander Semin, which would be difficult for any player to duplicate, but with training camp and preseason, things could work out.

Eric Staal will not be easily replaced. He is the best player on the Hurricanes’ roster and the leader of the team. If he is out for an extended period of time, it will be up to the team to make up for the loss, not just one or two players.

Despite having a bad season, the Hurricanes do not have a lot of cap space because $31 million is tied up in the Staal brothers, Alexander Semin, Tuomo Ruutu and Jeff Skinner. That’s five forwards or 25 percent of the team taking up almost half of the salary cap. Rutherford has dug himself into a deep hole and this off-season could be a busy one for the Hurricanes.

A possible amnesty clause option could have been Ruutu, but Rutherford announced at the end-of-year press conference that there would be no buy-out this year. The Canes would still have the option of two buy-outs next summer if they feel they should use one or both then.

With amnesty out the window, trading could be the answer for fixing the Hurricanes’ salary cap problems. Some options could be Drayson Bowman, Justin Peters, Patrick Dwyer and Jaime McBain. Bowman, Dwyer and McBain could find suitors easily on the trade market, but it might be more difficult to trade Peters.

Jeff Skinner could be a possible trade option this summer. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The 26-year-old goaltender has a modest cap hit at just over $500,000 but he has not proven much in the NHL, especially in the back-up position. But a late-round pick may be achievable for Peters.

The Hurricanes could also try trading Skinner. Others have speculated on this option and it may not be a bad idea. The move could work similarly to the Rick Nash trade, with the Columbus Blue Jackets receiving two young roster players and a good prospect. Of course Skinner would not return as much as Nash, but could definitely add depth to the team.

If Rutherford decides to make minimal trades, the Canes will be in a tough spot. There are a few players that will be free agents that will need to be re-signed or replaced that will take up most of the $7 million in cap space. The team would also not be able to add too many depth players to the roster.

If Rutherford makes a few trades this summer, he will be able to add players and work on improving the team. If not, the team will have a similar mold going into the 2013-14 season.

Muller said after the season he wanted to use Skinner as a ‘plus-player’ and a ‘two-way forward.’ Of course it is important for your top players to be responsible defensively, but Muller may be implying that he wants Skinner to be a typical shut-down third line center.

With Skinner’s skill it would be a waste to utilize the 20-year-old in that role. Skinner has shown he has 30 to 40 goal potential and improves the Hurricane’s top six by a huge margin.

Jordan Staal can also be used in a defensive role. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It’s possible that Muller would like to set up his offense similar to the Pittsburgh Penguins – two elite centers (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) in the top six and then a defensive center (Brandon Sutter) capable of scoring on the third line. If this is what Muller is trying to do, he should use Jordan Staal as the third-line center and Jeff Skinner on the second line.

Staal has already been used in that role when he was with the Pens and is much better defensively than Skinner. Skinner also has a better offensive skill set than Staal.

If Skinner is used again as one of the Staal’s winger, the Hurricanes have a few options at filling the third-line center position in free agency.

Former Cane Matt Cullen is a free agent, along with Nik Antropov and Kyle Wellwood, who are all players that can perform in a defensive center role with any NHL team. The Canes may have to pay a little bit more to bring a player like that to Carolina, but it would be worth it.

The Canes could also try using one of their roster players in that position such as Tim Brent or Pat Dwyer.

Skinner is a great goal-scorer and arguably the best sniper on the Hurricanes’ roster. Moving him to a defensive role will only hurt the team’s scoring.