The Carolina Hurricanes have won six straight games, and their latest victory over the Washington Capitals showed why they remain one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams.
But there is a problem brewing beneath the surface, and the winning streak might be masking just how much work lies ahead for the coaching staff.
Carolina defeated Washington 4-2 on Tuesday, overcoming another difficult contest to extend its run. Andrei Svechnikov led the way with two goals and an assist, while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 20 shots. The Hurricanes found a way to get the job done despite losing another forward, Taylor Hall, to an upper-body injury during the game.
That came after the club announced that captain Jordan Staal would miss one to two months with a torn calf muscle.
The loss of Hall is another tough blow to the club that’s already playing without Seth Jarvis.
Staal handles difficult defensive matchups, takes important faceoffs and anchors the penalty kill. Hall, meanwhile, gives Carolina another option in its top six and brings valuable experience to a forward group already missing a key contributor.
The Hurricanes are winning anyway. The question is whether they can keep doing so without compromising the very things that make them so difficult to play against.
Hurricanes Must Find a Way to Replace Jordan Staal’s Defensive Work
Replacing Staal is about much more than finding someone to center the third line. The captain routinely takes on the opposition’s toughest assignments, allowing Carolina’s more offensively gifted forwards to work in more favorable situations.
That is a luxury the Hurricanes no longer have.
Mark Jankowski has already stepped into Staal’s spot between Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Martinook, and he has given the coaching staff plenty to like. He scored in Sunday’s win over Philadelphia and found the net again against Washington, extending his productive start to the season.
Still, asking Jankowski to replace Staal’s entire workload would be a tall order. Staal led Carolina’s forwards in shorthanded ice time per game and had taken more faceoffs than anyone else on the roster before his injury.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi could also be asked to shoulder more responsibility down the middle, while the remaining forwards will need to share the defensive burden. Rod Brind’Amour has already acknowledged that replacing Staal will require a collective effort.
The danger is that these adjustments eventually catch up with Carolina. If Aho and the other top offensive players start taking on more difficult matchups, the Hurricanes could lose some of the freedom that has helped fuel their winning streak.
Taylor Hall’s Absence Could Force a Change to Carolina’s Top Six
Hall’s injury creates a different problem. Whereas Staal’s absence forces Carolina to redistribute defensive responsibilities, losing Hall could leave the team short of options in its top six.
The veteran forward has three goals and five points through eight games, providing the kind of secondary scoring that can make a deep lineup even more dangerous. Plus, there’s no denying the crucial role he played during Carolina’s championship run last season.
Hall left Tuesday’s game after playing just 4:17, and Brind’Amour’s postgame assessment was hardly encouraging. The coach said the injury “doesn’t look good,” but Hall’s timeline is not yet clear. It would be premature to assume he will miss a specific number of games.
If he is sidelined for an extended period, Carolina could look to move a player such as Ehlers or Jackson Blake into a different role, or give a younger forward an opportunity to earn more minutes. The team recalled Bradly Nadeau from the AHL on Wednesday, giving it another option up front.
The Hurricanes have enough depth to absorb one injury. Two key forwards missing time, with Jarvis still out, is whole new ballgame.
Carolina’s winning streak is proof that its depth and system can withstand adversity. But the next test is whether Brind’Amour can keep the lineup balanced without overloading the players who remain healthy. The Hurricanes are off to a terrific start. They just cannot afford to let that success disguise a growing roster problem.
Hurricanes Winning Streak Could Be Hiding Serious Roster Issue