Stepan was not in the lineup for Friday's 3-2 win over the Penguins. It was the seventh time in the last nine games he's sat out as a healthy scratch.

Given that the Hurricanes have a healthy forward roster at the moment, Stepan's role on the team has essentially been reduced to that of depth forward. Going forward, he will likely only see ice time as an injury replacement or if one of the team's regulars needs a night off.