When Jussi Jokinen collided with Tampa Bay forward Ryan Shannon last night, his leg/ankle landed in a very awkward position and immediately I knew that it would be something bad, which it was. Jokinen is now out 3-4 weeks with what is being called a "lower-body injury." Jokinen was the team's best forward when playing at even strength last month and has been the most consistent when providing offense so this injury is huge. Carolina's second line has arguably been their strongest this season and Jokinen plays a big role on it so that makes things even worse.
However, there are some positives we can draw out of this situation. The first one being that it opens up a spot in the top-six and both Ruutu and Skinner can play center so they can possibly take over Jokinen's role there. When it comes to finding someone to move up to that line, I made a post yesterday about how the Canes have two young, offensively gifted prospects playing on the fourth line this year. ...
Original Story:
