Taylor Hall misses Hurricanes practice ahead of Winnipeg

Hall left Tuesday's 4-2 win over Washington early with an upper-body injury. When the Canes skated at Lane Arena Friday morning, he wasn't out there.

Walt Ruff

@WaltRuff

Ahead of an afternoon flight to Winnipeg, the #Canes are practicing at Lane Arena. Taylor Hall (upper-body injury) is not on the ice. We'll see what Rod Brind'Amour says following the skate. Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum, both recalled over the last two days, are in the mix. Carrier - Aho - Svechnikov Nadeau - Stankoven - Blake Ehlers - Jankowski - Martinook Robinson - Kotkaniemi - Unger Sorum Jarvis - Deslauriers Slavin - Chatfield Miller - Walker Gostisbehere - Reilly Valimaki Kochetkov | Bussi

That's not a good sign, and it fits what Rod Brind'Amour said Tuesday night. Hall played just 4:17 before leaving in the 2nd period, and after the game Brind'Amour said it "doesn't look good." There's still no official diagnosis and no timeline. Everybody is waiting on what Rod says after this skate.

Hall's injury lands right after another one. Captain Jordan Staal tore his calf in warmups before Sunday's game in Philadelphia, went on injured reserve and is expected to miss 1-2 months. That's 2 veteran forwards hurt in about 3 days, and Carolina went to the Chicago Wolves for help. Nadeau was called up Wednesday and Felix Unger Sorum came up Thursday.

Cory Lavalette

@corylav

Hall missing from today’s practice with Nadeau in his spot on the Stankoven line. Unger Sorum rotating with Jarvis on the fourth line; Deslauriers and Valimaki serving as the fourth D pairing.

So the kids get a real look right away. Nadeau went 30th overall in 2023 and goes straight into Hall's top-6 spot with Stankoven. Unger Sorum went 62nd in that same draft and is splitting 4th-line reps for now. He's played 1 NHL game, back on April 14 against the Islanders, and picked up an assist in 14:35. He also put up 66 points in 72 AHL games last season, so he's not up just to fill a roster spot. The power play backs that up.

Cory Lavalette

@corylav

PP2 Miller-Unger Sorum-Nadeau-Stankoven-Jankowski

Both recalls are on the 2nd unit, with Unger Sorum and Nadeau next to Stankoven, Jankowski and Brent Burns' replacement on the point, Miller. If Hall misses real time, that's a big job for 2 young guys. Hall had 3 goals and 5 points through 7 games and was a playoff difference-maker last spring, with 7 goals and 19 points in 19 games. A 34-year-old who can still score like that isn't easy to replace with prospects.

For now the Canes keep winning. Pyotr Kochetkov is 4-0-0 and Andrei Svechnikov scored twice against the Caps. Next up is Winnipeg, and the thing to watch is Brind'Amour's update after Friday's skate. If he calls it week-to-week, Nadeau and Unger Sorum are going to be getting real minutes for a while.