It has yet to be determined whether or not Staal will require surgery on his broken leg, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

It has yet to be determined whether or not Staal will require surgery on his broken leg, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Analysis:

Staal was set to undergo a thorough evaluation by team doctors Thursday, but the results of those tests may not be available for a few days. If the Hurricanes do decide to go the surgery route, Staal would likely be looking at a long-term recovery period, which could potentially stretch into the second half of the season. Second-year forward Elias Lindholm is expected to receive the first opportunity to fill in for Staal as the Hurricanes' second-line center.