Robinson Still Out, Jarvis Still Out, and the Calendar Is Not Waiting

Two months after the parade, Carolina is still carrying two forwards on injured reserve with no improvement reported on either. Seth Jarvis — 22 goals in 40 games last season, the team's most dangerous finisher — remains on the 4–6 month timeline that began June 27. Eric Robinson has been out since mid-July. Together they represent a meaningful chunk of the offensive depth that made this team a champion.

The math is uncomfortable. The near end of Jarvis's recovery window lands right around when the 2026–27 season opens. The far end lands well into it. The Hurricanes picked up Stiven Sardarian from Buffalo last week, and the front office has been active enough this summer that you can see the effort — but as I noted Monday, none of those moves close the gap that Jarvis leaves. Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake are capable of absorbing some of the load, and Sebastian Aho is Aho. The structure holds. The margin for error is just thinner than it was in June.

What makes this worth watching in the next few weeks is how the roster shakes out around those absences. Brind'Amour has shown throughout his tenure that he can squeeze production from a short bench — that's not new. But defending a title with your second-line center unavailable from opening night is a different kind of problem than managing a mid-season slump. The clock is ticking, and right now it's ticking faster than either player is recovering.