Pitkanen (heel) indicated in an interview with a Finnish news outlet that he's not confident he'll return to action during the 2014-15 campaign, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reports. A broken heel suffered in April 2013 has kept Pitkanen off the ice for the last year and a half, putting the 30-year-old's career in jeopardy. The blueliner's three-year contract with the Hurricanes expired in the summer, and considering his bleak long-term health outlook, it's doubtful he signs with a team anytime soon.

Joni Pitkanen (broken heel) isn't sure when he'll be able to play again. Pitkanen, 30, hasn't played since April 2, 2013 and has long since been ruled out for the 2013-14 campaign. "I've been working with Raleigh Orthopaedic throughout this season with the hope of returning to play hockey," Pitkanen sad. "There is no timetable as of now, but I've been making progress with my rehab and it remains my goal to resume my professional hockey career. It's been frustrating to be away from the ice, but I want to thank all of the people who have expressed support throughout the season." He's a great offensive defenseman when he's healthy, but Pitkanen hasn't played in at least 70 games in a season since 2010-11.

Joni Pitkanen is officially on the long-term injured reserve list. This move isn't surprising, given that Pitkanen is expected to miss the entire season due to a broken left calcaneus. He's got plenty of fantasy value when he's healthy, but it's been a while since he played in the majority of an NHL season.

Joni Pitkanen should be placed on the long-term injured reserve list on Tuesday. That will give the Hurricanes a bit of breathing room when it comes to the cap ceiling. Pitkanen is expected to miss the 2013-14 campaign because of a broken left calcaneus.

The Carolina Hurricanes were caught off guard by the severity of Joni Pitkanen's injury. Pitkanen broke his left calcaneus on April 2 and will miss the entire 2013-14 campaign. "We were taken a little by surprise, three weeks before training camo, to learn that it was not progressing better than it was," Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said. "I suspect Joni was hoping it would get better and that he could begin putting more weight on it. But the stability was not there." Carolina is expected to explore trade and free agent options to help fill the void.

The Carolina Hurricanes will be without Joni Pitkanen (heel) for the entire 2013-14 campaign. Pitkanen has a broken left calcaneus. This is a devastating blow both to Pitkanen and the Carolina Hurricanes. For Pitkanen, this means that he'll miss the final season of his contract. He'll presumably enter the free agent market after having played in just 52 games over the last three seasons, which will make him a high-risk signing for any team. For Carolina, this removes one of their best defensemen from the equation. This might be an opportunity for Ryan Murphy, but Carolina is also likely to explore their options on the trade and free agent fronts.

Joni Pitkanen had a CT scan on his on his heel Thursday, but the Hurricanes won't have a prognosis until Monday. He isn't expected to be available during training camp and Carolina GM Jim Rutherford said that Pitkanen could miss the beginning of the season as well. The team didn't know that Pitkanen was struggling with his rehabilitation, from a broken left heel bone, until a week ago. He is unable to put weight on it.

Joni Pitkanen may not be ready for the start of the regular season, according to Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford. He is scheduled to have a CT test Thursday in Raleigh. Pitkanen underwent a procedure on his heel in mid-April. In 22 outings last year, he posted nine points.

Joni Pitkanen (heel surgery) is progressing well in his rehab and is optimistic about his recovery. Pitkanen underwent the procedure during in mid-April. GM Jim Rutherford says the mobile defenseman is on schedule and it appears he'll be able to participate in training camp on some level. That said, this is an injury worth monitoring considering Pitkanen's skating ability is a huge part of his game. We'll be watching to see how he's recovering in camp before setting a draft value.

Joni Pitkanen's procedure on his broken heel bone was apparently successful, according to Carolina GM Jim Rutherford. It was reported that the success of the surgery may not be known for a few months, but Rutherford has heard that it went well. Pitkanen is projected to be ready to go next fall for training camp.