The Carolina Hurricanes activated captain Jordan Staal from injured reserve ahead of Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken in Helsinki, Finland.
Staal, 38, has not played since Oct. 10 due to a partially torn calf muscle. The forward has participated in a pair of practices in Helsinki.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said Friday. “We brought him over here with the intention (of) maybe getting him in a game. He didn’t want to come all the way over here and not play. But there’s also no rush. Rushing a guy back, we don’t need to do that either.
“So, we’ll find out probably tomorrow after he gets through the morning, and hopefully he does play.”
Staal has been held without a point in six games this season.
He totaled 36 points (20 goals, 16 assists) in 75 regular-season games last season. He added 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 19 playoff games, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP while helping the Hurricanes capture their second Stanley Cup championship.
Staal has 747 points (318 goals, 429 assists) in 1,409 career games with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2006-12) and Hurricanes. He was selected by the Penguins with the second overall pick of the 2006 NHL Draft.
Also on Saturday, the Hurricanes placed defenseman Mike Reilly on waivers. Reilly, 33, had two assists in eight games this season.
–Field Level Media
