Carolina Hurricanes Rumors: Center Jordan Staal Suffers Broken Leg in Preseason Game [VIDEO]

Carolina center Jordan Staal suffered a broken leg in the Hurricanes preseason game at Buffalo on Tuesday night.

Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis announced that Staal broke the lower portion of his right leg and there is no timetable for his return after the initial tests. New coach Bill Peters spoke after the game and said the injury is a heavy blow to team's plans for this season.

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"I'm concerned for sure. He's a big piece of what we're going to do moving forward," Peters said

Staal was hurt with 6:35 left in the third period after being checked into the boards by Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges. Staal immediately went to the ice and had to be helped off by medical officials. Staal couldn't put weight on the leg as he got off the ice and was scene on crutches with his right leg elevated about 20 minutes after the game.

Staal is a four-time 20-goal scorer, and was fifth on the team in points last season. Staal recorded 40 points via 15 goals and 25 assists while averaging nearly 19 minutes on ice per game.

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The Hurricanes are expected to get Staal’s brother and team captain Eric Staal back from a core muscle injury next Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.

Jordan Staal sustained a potentially bad knee injury tonight. Hoping it isn't as bad as it looked. He's one of the good guys.

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_Trib) September 24, 2014