Canes defenseman Dougie Hamilton suffers broken fibula
The news was not good Friday for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, injured Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, has a broken left fibula, the team announced. Surgery was performed Friday by Dr. Kevin Logel at Raleigh Orthopaedic, but Hamilton’s return is indefinite.
“It’s a huge loss, obviously,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Friday. “He’s arguably our No. 1 guy on everything. He plays every situation and we count on him quite a bit. It’s a big loss but all teams go through this at some point and we’ll see how we respond.”
Hamilton, a potential Norris Trophy candidate this season, was chosen to to compete for the Metropolitan Division team in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis later this month. With Hamilton sidelined, the NHL announced Friday that Hamilton would be replaced by Canes defenseman Jaccob Slavin.
Canes center Jordan Staal suffered a similar injury in a preseason exhibition game in September 2014 against the Buffalo Sabres. Staal underwent surgery to repair a broken fibula and had an estimated recovery time of three to four months.
Staal returned to the lineup in late-December 2014, a little more than three months after surgery.
The Canes, who held the first wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Brind’Amour said that might be a plus in that the players, while glum about Hamilton’s loss, must quickly refocus on the task at hand: winning a game.
“He’s a brother in there,” Brind’Amour said. “We all know how much he means to us. He’s been a real good team player in that locker room. I think it’s good we’ve got a game right away to go through and we’ll see what we’ve got.”
Defenseman Haydn Fleury, a healthy scratch the past few games, went back into the lineup. But Brind’Amour said he was not sure about the D-man pairings leading up to the All-Star Game and bye-week break -- the Canes host the New York Islanders on Sunday and Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
“That will probably be a work in progress,” Brind’Amour said. “I think that will juggle around quite a bit. ... There might be a lot of mix and match.”
Hamilton was injured Thursday with 16.4 seconds left in the second period. Hamilton and Columbus’ Kevin Stenlund were chasing after the puck when they had their legs tangle, Hamilton falling backward and bending his left leg under him.
“It’s an unfortunate injury but I’m sure he’ll be back at some point, whether it’s this year or next year, as good as new,” Brind’Amour said.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 12:24 PM.
