The Carolina Hurricanes’ early surge has come with a catch: the injuries are piling up.
Carolina has opened the season 6-1-1 and is riding a six-game winning streak, but the roster is still getting hit hard. Seth Jarvis hasn’t played yet as he works back from offseason shoulder surgery, while Jordan Staal and Taylor Hall have also been sidelined by injuries.
On Friday in Raleigh, before the team left for its annual long road trip - the one that overlaps with the North Carolina State Fair being held across the street from the Lenovo Center - head coach Rod Brind’Amour gave updates on both Hall and Jarvis.
Hall will be out week-to-week after suffering an upper-body injury that forced him from Carolina’s last game, a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals. The 2018 Hart Trophy winner had been skating on the Canes’ second line with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, and that group was trying to match the chemistry it showed during last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hall has five points in eight games.
Jarvis, meanwhile, is at least trending in the right direction. The Winnipeg native will travel with the team on the upcoming road trip, a five-game stretch against Western Conference opponents that runs through Oct. 24, which leaves open the possibility of his season debut during the swing. Before surgery this summer, Jarvis had been dealing with the shoulder issue for most of the past two years.
Now entering his sixth NHL season, Jarvis has scored more than 30 goals in each of the last three years. Last season, he put up 66 points in 71 games, the best points-per-game pace of his career.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Perfect Road Start Faces Its Biggest Test Yet
Carolinas perfect road start will be put to work on a five-game swing through Western Canada and St. Louis, and the early test now looks a lot less like a soft landing than a measuring stick. The Hurricanes have been sharp away from home to open the season, but this trip folds in a little of everything, from a back-to-back to the kind of atmosphere that can expose any slow start or sloppy shift.
Winnipeg opens the schedule with an extra layer of intrigue because of its unsettled crease, while the stop in Vancouver brings a rematch with a familiar opponent. Carolina handled the Canucks convincingly in Raleigh earlier this season, and the rematch should tell a little more about whether the Hurricanes road edge is simply a strong opening stretch or something they can keep carrying into a tougher part of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Suddenly Have A Forward Problem At The Worst Time
The Hurricanes forward group got a jolt this week when Rod BrindAmour said Taylor Hall is now considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Hall left Tuesdays win over Washington in the first period, and his absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a Carolina attack that has already been juggling availability and recovery issues early in the season.
There is at least one encouraging sign on the horizon, though, as Seth Jarvis is traveling with the team and continues to edge closer to a return from June shoulder surgery. He recently shed his non-contact jersey in practice, a meaningful step for a player the Hurricanes are hoping to get back by late October or early November, even if the exact timing still remains a little murky. [Read more 🡒]
Canes Suddenly Need Their Top Prospects For A Huge Road Test
The Hurricanes are heading into a five-game road trip with some unexpected help on the way, recalling forwards Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum from Chicago to join the roster. Both prospects turned heads in preseason and now get a real opportunity to step into the mix as Carolina tries to hold things together away from home.
The timing is driven by injuries at forward, with Taylor Hall dealing with an upper-body issue and Jordan Staal sidelined by a calf injury. Carolina has already had to adjust its depth chart, and the road trip could end up giving both young forwards meaningful minutes as the team looks for answers in the middle of a demanding stretch. [Read more 🡒]