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On eve of California trip, ‘Canes get discouraging news on Staal

Washington Capitals v Carolina Hurricanes

Jordan Staal

NHLI via Getty Images

When Carolina put Jordan Staal on IR with a concussion eight days ago, many wondered how the club would react to losing such a versatile performer.

Those same people will have to wonder a little longer.

The ‘Canes, who have gone 1-2-1 in their first four games without Staal, are unlikely to get him back for at least another three -- on Tuesday, head coach Bill Peters said Staal was unlikely to travel with the team for its upcoming road trip through California.

Also, there’s this:

It’s a profound loss, to say the least. The 28-year-old has a pretty big role in Carolina, and is the club’s top defensive center. He averages a healthy 18:29 TOI per game, and is one of the club’s best faceoff men, winning draws at a 60 percent clip.

Last year, Staal scored 20 goals for the first time since being acquired by the ‘Canes. He was off to a modest offensive start this year, with five goals and nine points through 21 contests.

Having a big-bodied center like Staal is usually vital for these California trips. The ‘Canes will have to deal with the likes of Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, Los Angeles’ Anze Kopitar and San Jose’s Joe Thornton.

With Staal out, Teuvo Teravainen has picked up the slack at center. He played a healthy 18:21 in Sunday’s OT win over the Lightning.