RALEIGH -- Justin Williams skated onto the ice at the RecZone on Tuesday wearing a red practice jersey instead of the yellow non-contact jersey he had been wearing since he returned to practice a week ago.
That's the latest sign that the Carolina Hurricanes forward is close to returning way, way, way early from the torn Achilles tendon that has wiped out his season so far. He almost certainly won't play tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, but he's not too far away.
For the Hurricanes -- who after Monday's loss to the Florida Panthers have dropped two straight after winning three straight after losing three straight -- Williams' return could be the missing piece that restores them to consistent competitiveness.
It better be. Not only will they be out of excuses, they'll be out of options.
When Williams returns, by which time Frantisek Kaberle should be back in the lineup as well, they'll be about as healthy as they can ever count on being, with a few day-to-day absences but no potential long-term injuries for the moment.
If the Hurricanes can't find a new gear under those circumstances, if getting Williams back isn't the answer, there may not be any other answers out there.
Fire the coach? A change would shake things up, but there's no guarantee a new coach could get any more out of this roster. Peter Laviolette may bear final responsibility for Carolina's lapses in work ethic, but it's easy to forget that he gives the team license to play with grace and skill, which in its best moments can make it tremendously enjoyable to watch.
Besides, the Hurricanes would owe Laviolette more than $2 million if they fired him now. For a franchise obsessed with its bottom line, that would be like giving up a kidney, so owner Peter Karmanos and general manager Jim Rutherford would have to be very motivated to make that decision.
Small-market finances also rule out adding players in a trade. The payroll is too big for Karmanos as it is. Don't forget the Canes went into the season trying to deal Kaberle to shed salary.
Even if the Canes decided to punt, dump salary and hope for a high draft pick a la 2002-03, a drastic move at this point given the Canes' position in the standings, their most marketable veteran would be Ray Whitney, who just happens to have a no-trade clause. And any talk of cutting ties with Eric Staal or Cam Ward is just silly at this point.
No, there is no parachute, no easy button for this team. If getting Williams back doesn't jump-start the Canes, it could be a long year -- but getting Williams back just might do that.
It's not about him, necessarily, although few teams have the depth to absorb the loss of a potential 40-goal scorer. It's about what having that extra weapon means.
With Williams healthy, the Hurricanes have the top-end offensive depth to go three scoring lines deep, which is historically when they've been their most successful under Laviolette.
They're at their best when Whitney is on the third line -- not because he's a third-line player, but because when he's there opposing teams don't know which line to try to stop. It's possible to game-plan for two scoring lines, but not three.
When combined with a grinding fourth line, which the Canes could easily put together with some combination of Brandon Sutter, Chad LaRose, Ryan Bayda, Wade Brookbank and AHL call-ups like Dan LaCouture, it's easy to apply a lot more pressure.
The Canes are only one point out of the Southeast Division lead, but it's hard for anyone one who has watched this team with any regularity to feel particularly optimistic. It's not the losses. It's how they have lost.
Williams will be back soon, and not a moment too soon for the Hurricanes. They are nowhere close to running out of time this season, but they may be close to running out of options.
