Ahead of Tuesday's rematch with the Washington Capitals, Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour relayed some upsetting news regarding the health of the Carolina Hurricanes' captain, Jordan Staal. After missing Sunday's game in Philadelphia, the hope was that his injury wouldn't be anything long-term. According to the coach, that is not the case.
Staal, who had yet to record a point in six games, was injured during the warm-up before the Flyers game, and it was revealed that he'd torn his calf. Brind'Amour estimated that the injury should sideline him for at least a month and possibly two. Obviously, this is not the sort of news we were hoping for, but the Hurricanes have no choice but to move on.
Heading into the season, the captain was chasing a few big milestones for the organization, sitting one point away from 500, two goals away from 200, and less than 30 games away from becoming the first to dress for 1,000 exclusively as a Hurricane. Those searches are now on hold for the next little while as he recovers from what is being called a "freak thing".
While there was no way of knowing this would happen, it makes the front office's decision to retain Jesperi Kotkaniemi feel a little wiser. He has been in the lineup for each game since the first visit to Philadelphia, but he'd been on the wing until Staal's scratch on Sunday moved him back to the middle of the fourth line. He looked good, and this will be a massive opportunity for him.
This also means that we'll likely see Mark Jankowski hold down the spot on the third line for the time being. Outside of Sebastian Aho, Jankowski is the team's most reliable man in the dot, which makes his 45.7 percent win percentage to start the season a slight concern. He'll be called upon for crucial face offs on the penalty kill, but that number has to improve.
While this affects the bottom six considerably, the ripple effects will be felt up top, too. Aho must continue to be strong in the dot, especially since he'll now be responsible for the draws on the power play. Logan Stankoven also needs to take big strides in the dot, which we've seen in spurts to begin this season. Staal, literally, touches every facet of this team, so his absence will certainly be felt.
Brind'Amour implied that the team will likely call up a forward from Chicago and expressed that it didn't have to be a center since they have Kotkaniemi. This seems to mean that the door is open for either Bradly Nadeau or Felix Unger Sorum to join the Hurricanes, though it seems unlikely to be for tonight's contest. Their presence will absolutely be needed as the team prepares to head west.
Ultimately, this is tough news for the Hurricanes to be dealt after a relatively quiet start on the injury front. It's a far cry from where things were at this point last year. Nevertheless, the team must soldier on and rely on their center depth to endure while Staal is on the shelf. This team is positioned to persevere through this, though they don't really have a choice in that matter.
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