Should Carolina Hurricanes Be Worried About Eric Staal's Declining Production?

It has been a long six games and 12 days since Eric Staal last registered a point for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Staal's slump is the latest low point in a highly underwhelming campaign for the team's captain, who turned 30 this past October.

No. 12 sports a mere 19 goals and 24 assists in 66 appearances this season, putting him on pace for his worst full-length season since 2003-04. He's found the back of the net just three times in Carolina's last 24 games and now trails complete non-superstars like Colin Wilson, Matt Beleskey and Anders Lee on the NHL goal-scoring leaderboard.

Head coach Bill Peters has revolved a number of forwards around Staal in a (so far) futile attempt to jump-start the center-turned-winger.

He dropped Staal's ice time to 15:12 on Thursday in Montreal—the lowest it's been (when not affected by injury) since Feb. 25, 2011—then spiked it back to 20:05 Saturday against the Rangers.

Staal also played separately from brother Jordan in Montreal, then rejoined him vs. New York.

Neither tactic proved particularly effective, as Staal tallied two more box score goose eggs and the 'Canes lost both contests.

Gregg Forwerck/Getty Images

But should the Hurricanes be concerned about the long-term implications of Staal's poor season? Is age and wear (he's already played 878 NHL games) catching up to the longtime face of the franchise? Will 2014-15 be the start of Staal's long decline?

Most likely not.

The stability of Staal's shot production is a good sign that his ongoing slump will eventually turn around.

He's averaged 3.67 shots on goal per game during this stretch of six games, a clip that exceeds his per-game rate for this season and every other season since 2008-09.

Staal has also ranked among the top five Hurricanes (among those with significant playing time) in shot attempt differential, or Corsi, in all but one season since 2008-09 (per Hockey Analysis). He trails only his brother Jordan in such regard this season.

In fact, Staal's Shot Attempts For percentage has been off the charts during this six-game stretch: 63.2 percent, according to War on Ice data. His line burned the Habs 18-9 and the Rangers 20-12.

While not putting the rubber into the twine, Staal is creating scoring opportunities and driving offensive play just as much as always.

Game	TOI	Points	SOG	Shot Attempts For	Shot Attempts Against
Mar. 12 vs. DAL	19:50	0	1	15	10
Mar. 14 vs. FLA	17:43	0	7	20	8
Mar. 15 vs. CBJ	22:11	0	5	18	12
Mar. 17 vs. OTT	17:27	0	3	12	9
Mar. 19 vs. MTL	15:12	0	2	18	9
Mar. 21 vs. NYR	20:05	0	4	20	12

Late-season declines, however, have become something of a pattern in Staal's career.

The Ontario native scored just three times in a 22-game stretch late in 2013-14 before potting two in his final game. The year before, Staal scored merely twice during the Hurricanes' final 15 matches. 

Certainly the team's new generation of young forwards—Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, Andrej Nestrasil and even Jeff Skinner, who is still just 22 years old—has put some of the team's older stars on thinner ice. Staal's move to the wing of his brother and Lindholm worked at first, but his lack of experience and comfort level seems to have caught up with him.

Nevertheless, it's likely that No. 12's March struggles are more of a short-term issue than a foreshadowing of career problems ahead.

His scoring drought could very well end when Carolina hosts Chicago on Monday, after all. Staal has recorded 10 points in eight appearances against the Blackhawks since 2006.

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.