Turbulent Preseason Leaves Carolina Hurricanes Desperate for Solutions

The rip current that annually sucks the optimism out of the Carolina Hurricanes' sheltered bay came early this year.

As the hours until Friday's regular-season-opening game wind down, the 'Canes have been left near-shipwrecked and already seeking to patch a plethora of holes.

Eighteen percent of the Hurricanes' total salary cap and 23 percent of last year's goal production already sits on the injured list.

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Jordan Staal was injured in the team's second preseason game and will miss three to four months with a broken leg, and Jeff Skinner is out indefinitely with a concussion—his third in less than three years. 

The long-term absences of two different top-six forwards deal a terribly-timed punch to a Carolina offense still seeking to redefine its identity.

Skinner ranked 11th in the NHL with 33 goals last season, while Staal ranked fifth on the 'Canes in points and was the team's most trusted defensive forward. Now, young guns like Victor Rask, Chris Terry and Patrick Brown—a trio who, thanks to Terry, sport 13 combined games of career NHL experience—will attempt to fill their places.

A month ago, expecting a big improvement in 2014-15 from the offensive unit would've been completely justifiable. The unit is much more talented on paper than their 2013-14 performances indicated, as the team was ranked No. 23 in goals scored. Also, new head coach Bill Peters can't possibly mismanage his players as much as predecessor Kirk Muller did.

But such hopes now appear unlikely to be fulfilled.

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Outside of the pair of devastating injuries, the Raleigh hockey scene was blindsided by a poorly-worded headline that sparked false rumors about the franchise's future in North Carolina being up in the air.

Meanwhile, the 'Canes won just two of seven preseason games—albeit while fielding a more prospect-filled lineup than their opponents on most nights—and now stumble into the regular season with the worst Stanley Cup odds in the league (according to Odds Shark).

Faced with such a maelstrom of conflict and uncertainty, many teams would turn to their coaching and managerial staff to rebuild confidence in the ranks. Unfortunately for Carolina, however, neither Peters nor new GM Ron Francis have held their current leadership positions for a single NHL game.

Both men seem to be smart choices for the franchise's long-term future, but their inexperience nonetheless adds to the team's instability for the moment.

Said Peters optimistically to Chip Alexander of The News & Observer on Tuesday:

"

We’re going to have to be real responsible defensively and make sure we’re the hardest-working team each and every night in order to give ourselves a realistic chance. I think we’re capable of that. We’ll find a way.

"

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The season will mercifully (or not) begin Friday night at PNC Arena, kicking off a back-to-back home-and-home with the rebuilt New York Islanders. The 'Canes play their third home game of the year next Tuesday against Buffalo then don't return to Raleigh again until Nov. 1.

The first nine contests of the season, in fact, take place in seven different arenas—hardly a schedule conducive to developing chemistry and routine.

Desperate for answers to many nagging weaknesses and simultaneously hungry for success on the ice, the 'Canes may find it impossible to solve both issues at once.

It's a paradox that threatens to doom Carolina's entire 2014-15 season before it even begins.

Mark Jones has covered the Carolina Hurricanes for Bleacher Report since 2009. Visit his profile to read more, or follow him on Twitter.