Jordan Staal Injury Will Test Center Depth of Carolina Hurricanes

An serious injury to Jordan Staal during Tuesday's preseason game sent an earthquake rattling through the Carolina Hurricanes' offensive plans.

The 'Canes and new head coach Bill Peters expected to be able to rely on the duo of Jordan and Eric Staal as their steady first- and second-line centers. The brothers missed a combined three games in the entirety of the 2013-14 season—Eric accounting for all three.

But such stability is now in tremendous question.

Jordan suffered a broken leg during the third period of the Hurricanes' 2-0 loss to the Sabres in Buffalo on Tuesday night, with further details about the injury not yet publicly available:

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' website, recovery time for a broken tibia is typically around four to six months. Recovery time for a broken fibula, the other main bone in the lower leg, is usually slightly shorter.

In 82 appearances last season, Staal, 25, tallied 15 goals and 25 assists, ranking fifth on the team with 40 total points. Contrary to logic and expectations, however, his average ice time hit a six-year low as then-coach Kirk Muller struggled to obtain consistency in his player usage tactics.

A major jump in Staal's production could have been a significant boost to the Hurricanes' quest to field an offensive attack on par with the money they've spent on the unit. According to CapGeek.com, they currently feature the NHL's fourth-highest average salary per forward.

Now a multimonth absence from the 6'4" center appears set to again disrupt that goal.

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Looking down the middle of the depth chart, no promising replacement candidates stand out.

Offseason addition Jay McClement should provide substantially more offensive output than departed Manny Malhotra. Despite how incredibly frequently he was overused in Toronto last season, however, the 31-year-old is primarily a defensive center and not a viable top-six player.

Meanwhile, Chip Alexander of the News & Observer suggests Riley Nash's job as the supposed fourth-line center has been drawing some competition from fast-rising prospect Victor Rask, the 42nd overall selection in the 2011 draft who scored nine points in four games during last week's NHL prospects tournament.

Nash's job is now looking much safer, and Rask's NHL odds are now increasing even more, but neither a 25-year-old who scored 24 points in 73 NHL games last season nor a 21-year-old who scored 39 points in 76 AHL games last season seem well-fitted for a second-line role on opening night.

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The most likely route of replacement may well be shifting over either Jeff Skinner or Elias Lindholm, both natural centers who played wing in 2013-14, into the hole.

Neither has played much center at the NHL level, yet both were originally drafted with top-10 picks as such.

Despite a late-season surge, Lindholm's 21-point rookie campaign was moderately disappointing. The talented youngster's career could take off in 2014-15 with a larger role at a more comfortable position.

Elsewhere on the roster, the NHL hopes of prospects like Brock McGinn, Zach Boychuk and Chris Terry will also receive a bump from Staal's injury—not only because of the additional available roster spot, but also because the loss of another key producer could make the upcoming season look more and more like a rebuilding year.

General manager Ron Francis could potentially turn to the free-agent market to add another forward, as well, like predecessor Jim Rutherford did by signing Ron Hainsey last September after Joni Pitkanen was ruled out for the year.

Although no players remotely near Jordan's caliber remain available this close to the season, a few NHL-level veterans—including wingers Dustin Penner (35 points last season) and Ray Whitney (32 points) and centers Michael Handzus (16 points) and Andrei Loktionov (22 points, including 10 with Carolina)—are still possibilities.

Mark Jones has been a Carolina Hurricanes Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report since 2009. Visit his profile to read more, or follow him on Twitter.