Hurricanes Relying On Depth Once Again With Early-Season Injury Bug

The injury bug seems it won’t leave the Carolina Hurricanes alone again for the second consecutive season. In 2025-26, they had most of the blue line out with injuries through the first couple of months of the season. At one point, they were down to their ninth and 10th defensemen. Mike Reilly played 42 games, while Joel Nystrom played 38. One was the team’s seventh defenseman coming into the season, while the other was the second blue-line call-up. Now in 2026-27, the bug is back, and this time, it’s taking a bite out of the forward core.

Defense Last Season, Forwards This Season

After news that Jordan Staal would miss a month or two with a partially torn calf, it seemed like Mark Jankowski would take his place as the third-line center. Before Sunday’s game against the Calgary Flames, it was announced he would also be out. Following the loss, it was confirmed that he was sent back to Raleigh  “to get looked at.” If that wasn’t already bad news, Taylor Hall was placed on injured reserve on Monday, Oct. 19. That doesn’t change the week-to-week timeline, stated last week; it would open a roster spot for another call-up.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said after Sunday night’s loss that the Hurricanes are in one with injuries again. “We’re in one. We’ve got guys playing out of position and have lost three or four penalty killers. [The penalty kill] looked terrible tonight. You’ve got to figure it out. This is the ‘no one feels sorry for you’ league. We’ve got to just regroup”

With Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sörum already recalled from the Chicago Wolves after the Staal and Hall injuries, the Hurricanes will have to tap into that well once again. Now that Jankowski is back in Raleigh, they’ll have to call up a center as they’re down to Sebastian Aho, Logan Stankoven, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

One option is Skyler Brind’Amour, who has played six games for the Hurricanes over the last two seasons. While he scored only one goal with the Hurricanes in 2024-25, he has done well with the Wolves. He has tallied 16 goals in 2024-25 and 2025-26. He is a two-way forward who can score and play some solid defense in his own zone. Throughout his time in Chicago, Wolves head coach Spiros Anastas uses him in key situations on both ends of the ice.

Another possible option is Justin Robidas, who has played four games with the Hurricanes since 2024-25, like Brind’Amour. He has one goal and three points over that span, even tallying an assist in two games during 2025-26. With the Wolves, he has scored 20 or more goals in each of the last two seasons: 20 in 70 games in 2024-25 and 23 in 58 games last season. Either him or Brind’Amour could be decent short-term options, but not ideal long-term.

All in all, the Hurricanes’ depth will be tested once again, this time with the forwards. They survived last season with the defense, but it’ll be interesting with the forward core being down four regulars. As of now, there’s no update on whether Jankowski will return to the road trip or who will be recalled from the Wolves. So far, there is a possibility of Seth Jarvis making his season debut during the road trip. That said, there’s been nothing official on that front either. The defending Stanley Cup champions seek to return to the win column on Tuesday night (Oct. 20) against the Vancouver Canucks. That said, will more reinforcements be on their way from Chicago?