Jordan Staal will miss 1-2 months after tearing a calf muscle in warmups before the Carolina Hurricanes' 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, coach Rod Brind'Amour said Tuesday.
Brind'Amour said the injury happened in warmups and called it a freak occurrence. The update is a significant one for the Hurricanes because Staal is not just their captain, but also a key part of their defensive forward group.
Why Staal matters to Carolina
Staal leads Hurricanes forwards in short-handed ice time per game and has taken the most face-offs on the team. That makes his absence especially meaningful in two areas Carolina leans on heavily: penalty killing and matchups against top opponents.
Brind'Amour said Staal gets the tough assignments every night and helps free up other players for lighter usage. Without him, the coach said the Hurricanes will have to share those duties and have more players step into those responsibilities.
Mark Jankowski filled Staal's usual third-line role between Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Martinook in the win over Philadelphia, and Brind'Amour pointed to that group as one part of the answer for now. He also said Jankowski has played well, but the team will need that production over an extended stretch.
A stretch of familiar pressure
The injury comes during another busy period for Carolina. On Tuesday, the Hurricanes hosted the Washington Capitals, and now they will have to move forward without one of their most reliable veterans for what Brind'Amour described as a long-term absence.
Staal has spent 15 seasons with the Hurricanes, compiling 499 points with 198 goals and 301 assists in 978 regular-season games. He also has 49 postseason points in 108 playoff games, along with the kind of playoff experience that has defined much of his Carolina career.
For now, the Hurricanes are left adjusting to life without a player who handles difficult defensive work, heavy faceoff usage and short-handed minutes. Brind'Amour's message was simple: the team will have to keep figuring it out.
