Injury Report: Carrier, Robinson 'Out For An Extended Period'

DENVER - When it rains, it pours, and just seven games into their 2025-26 season, the Carolina Hurricanes are flooded with injury troubles.

Starting the campaign without goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, who suffered a lower-body injury in practice on Oct. 6 and has been sidelined since, the young backstop was recently joined on injured reserve by star defenseman Jaccob Slavin (lower-body injury).

Slavin missed almost all of training camp and did not play in any of the team's six preseason contests, but laced up his skates for the team's first two games of the season. However, when the plane took off for the team's two-week road trip, he wasn't on it.

Since then, things have only snowballed for the team.

Shayne Gostisbehere (lower-body injury), who co-led the NHL in scoring by a defenseman through the first seven games, went down during the first period of the team's win over Los Angeles and was subsequently sent back to Raleigh.

And on Thursday, the team was rocked with three more injuries.

After taking warmup, K'Andre Miller (lower-body injury) wasn't able to play in the eventual victory in Colorado, where both William Carrier (lower-body injury) and Eric Robinson (upper-body injury) went down with injuries of their own.

While Monday's practice in Raleigh will be telling regarding the status of Gostisbehere, Kochetkov, and Slavin, it sounds like it would be a surprise if Carrier and Robinson are available.

“They’re going to be out, both of those guys, for it looks like an extended period," Rod Brind'Amour said post-game at Ball Arena. "Tonight was a tough night for the injuries. And (K’Andre Miller), I don’t know what’s going on there; that could be a while. It’s tough on the injury front right now.”

But the schedule waits for no one to heal up, and the Canes will continue pushing forward with what they do have.

NHL debuts for Brandon Bussi, Charles Alexis Legault, and Joel Nystrom have added memories to the first five games of this two-week road trip, but the Canes have another colossal matchup ahead of them on Saturday when they face the Dallas Stars. Their welcome home on Tuesday night is a rematch against another one of the Western Conference's best, the Vegas Golden Knights.

“It’s tough because no one is going to feel sorry for you. (The players we do have) They're going to give you their best," Brind'Amour said. "It puts you at a real tough disadvantage, especially with the blue line being down, that’s really, really tough on the guys, but I know we’re going to give it our best, that’s for sure.”

Although the pair has combined to play in just three NHL games, with Legault and Nystrom in the lineup, that gives the Canes six healthy defensemen. If they elect to recall another Gavin Bayreuther and Domenick Fensore are options with experience at the highest level.

The constant state of change on the back end has caused those who have been available for each game - Jalen Chatfield, Alexander Nikishin, and Sean Walker - to be counted on in big ways. Since Gostisbehere went down, Walker has logged an average of 26:02 time on ice per game, fifth-most among all NHL skaters during that time. Last season, the second-year Hurricane averaged just 16:50.

Up front, Mark Jankowski has been chomping at the bit to get back in the lineup, but if both Carrier and Robinson are sidelined, the team will need another forward, preferably a winger. The expectation is that the team will make a recall from Chicago (AHL) on Friday to fill that void.

Among the possibilities, Bradly Nadeau, if healthy, comes to mind. After scoring his lacrosse-style goal on Sunday, he left the contest later in the game and did not return. Givani Smith, who had an impressive training camp, has been working through immigration hurdles and has yet to make his season debut, and Juha Jaaska, who played 18 games for the team last year, is also hurt. Justin Robidas and Josiah Slavin, both of whom have played wing for the Wolves this season and have NHL experience, could also be on the table.

Only time will tell which direction the team elects to go, and who gets healthy when, but in the interim, any superstitions you may have at home for good health are welcome.