Monday's injury update felt like coal was being put in the Hurricanes' stocking

All season, we have lamented the Carolina Hurricanes' injury luck, with many teams around the league sharing a similar sentiment. It feels like a big star is getting hurt every other night. The Hurricanes have fought through it. Just as it seemed like things were starting to get better, they have been hit with some tough news over the last week.

It started with Jordan Martinook on Wednesday night in Nashville, who exited in the second period and hasn't played since. Then, on Friday in Sunrise, Jaccob Slavin was hit from behind into the boards by AJ Greer, and Seth Jarvis was tripped into the goal post in overtime. Neither played on Saturday, though Slavin's absence was deemed precautionary as part of his recovery from a previous issue.

The Hurricanes took Sunday off after playing three games in four nights, so Monday's practice was the first time we'd see the group together and receive updates on the ailing players. The updates Rod Brind'Amour provided were anything but positive ahead of Christmas.

Jarvis and Slavin each earn "week-to-week" labels

Before Saturday's game in Tampa, the Hurricanes placed Jarvis on IR, allowing them to call up Bradly Nadeau. This took him out of action for at least a week. Slavin, on the other hand, we assumed would be fine after the reason for his absence against the Lightning. It turns out, we might not see either of them for a few weeks.

The Hurricanes' official PR account announced that both Jarvis and Slavin were listed as "week-to-week" with upper-body injuries. This certainly knocks them out for Tuesday's revenge bout with the Panthers, though it could signal a continued absence well into January. We won't really know the true extent of the injuries, especially with how secretive the Hurricanes play these things.

While having them out for any period isn't ideal, there's an added layer of intrigue as both chase down Olympic roster spots. My thoughts on Jarvis's chances were made pretty clear, though a reserve spot in case of injury isn't out of the question. Now, Slavin's future with the American team becomes a little cloudier, as he'd be a virtual lock for the team if he were healthy.

The checking line also gets a grim update for Martinook and Carrier

Things aren't looking as bad for Martinook, though Brind'Amour already declared that he would miss Tuesday's game, bringing him to three straight games missed. What we weren't expecting was an additional issue with William Carrier. He hasn't missed any games, but Carrier wasn't present for practice on Monday. His status for Tuesday is unclear.

It was already bad enough not having Martinook for one of the games against Florida. Now, the Canes are staring at the possibility of not having Martinook AND Carrier for the second one. The idea is to be bigger and more physical against the Cats. We're moving in the wrong direction with this one. Hopefully, whatever is bothering Carrier isn't bad enough for him to miss the game.

We'll know more about Carrier's status after Tuesday's morning skate. Until then, we'll have to sit and wait, pondering the possibilities that could come with the second meeting with the defending champions in under a week. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we really need to get to Christmas break without any more speed bumps.