Veteran forward Jesper Fast suffers season ending injury

Fast, 32, has carved out a role as an effective bottom six forward for the Hurricanes, posting 19 points in 73 games last year, while playing a crucial role on the Hurricanes penalty kill.

Losing Fast for the entirety of next season is going to hurt the Hurricanes depth greatly. While he doesn't provide as much offence as he has in the past, the role he plays in the Hurricanes defensive system is incredibly crucial, and will not be easy to replace.

Fast was drafted 157th overall in the 2010 NHL draft, and has also played for the New York Rangers in his long career, which hopefully will not end with such a serious injury occurring.

What makes this an even tougher pill to swallow for Canes fans is that the injury occurred during their final regular season game last season against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a game that meant absolutely nothing to either team in terms of the standings.

Fans around the league are pulling for Fast as he undergoes the tough rehabilitation process.