Canes must adjust to loss of Williams

RALEIGH -- A day after Justin Williams' injury, after absorbing a collective body blow, the Carolina Hurricanes were in recovery mode.

Not that it was easy. Losing Williams, one of the Canes' top forwards, for four to six months with a torn Achilles tendon was a downer for everyone.

"A total bummer," defenseman Tim Gleason said Thursday.

But hockey players can be stoic, especially when it comes to injuries. The Canes insisted preseason training camp, which begins with physicals today, would not have a gloomy tone.

"I don't think it's going to hang over anybody," forward Chad LaRose said. "It was such a tough end to last season and a long summer. I think everybody in champing at the bit to get ready.

"It's hard to handle, but you have to take it and realize he's not going to be with us for a while.

"Someone is going to step up and take his spot. We've got to stay positive and hit the regular season on a high note."

LaRose was working out with Williams on Wednesday morning at an off-site training facility when the injury occurred.

"I was right next to him. He just stopped, and there was a big pop," LaRose said. "We all heard it -- a big pop."

Just like that, the Canes had lost Williams, who missed part of last season after a serious knee injury.

"It's depressing, really. I can only imagine what he feels like," Gleason said. "I guess we're kind of used to injuries after the last couple of years. Obviously, it was a fluke thing, and nobody is happy about it. But it happens."

On Tuesday, captain Rod Brind'Amour underwent surgery to repair cartilage in the knee he injured last season. Brind'Amour is expected to be back for the Oct. 10 season-opening game.

But there is no sure timetable for Williams' return, straining the team's depth at forward. That could provide a bigger opportunity for Jeff O'Neill, the former Cane who is trying to win a roster spot as an unsigned free agent.

O'Neill's first thoughts Thursday were about Williams, a former Canes teammate in the 2003-04 season, and his recovery.

"He's one of the guys I've known here and one of the guys I've gotten close to since I've been here," O'Neill said. "It's tough to see a guy who has put so much effort into it, considering last year he got hurt as well.

"It's a devastation. You're so excited to get back on the ice, then that happens. It could happen to any of us. Just a freak accident and you've got to move on."