Staal’s Calf Tear Opens Carolina’s Door To Dylan Larkin

The Carolina Hurricanes will be without their captain for one to two months, which is the kind of hole a Dylan Larkin trade is built to fill. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour announced Tuesday that center Jordan Staal tore his calf warming up before Sunday's game in Philadelphia. Staal, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner, has no goals, no assists and a minus-2 rating in six games this season. Carolina is 5-1-1 with 11 points and leads the Metropolitan Division, so the defending Stanley Cup champions are not short on wins. They are short a center.