Walker Out Six Weeks After Hand Surgery

The Carolina Hurricanes learned on Monday that they will be without forward Scott Walker for six weeks after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand. The Hurricanes are already without forward Justin Williams for at least three months after tearing the Achilles tendon in his right foot. The Hurricanes will lose some toughness and veteran depth with the injury to Walker and some scoring with Williams out. It's possible the Hurricanes could look to the trade market to replace those players or even some of the remaining veteran forward free agents. If the team is looking for replacements for Walker and Williams, it might be better for them to look to the waiver wire over the coming days for help as teams trim down their rosters for the start of the regular season, as it would not cost the Hurricanes a roster player. They could also look to their minor league prospects to replace the injured players.