Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton could return to the lineup before the end of the regular season.

The blue-chip rearguard was expected to miss the remainder of the campaign after suffering a broken fibula on Jan. 16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the timeline for Hamilton's recovery has general manager Don Waddell pondering a potential return.

"The only thing that I'm cautious about is with Dougie they say 8-12 weeks," Waddell said Friday, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "If he's 10 weeks, that's the last week of March."

Wadell will have to decide how to approach the Feb. 24 trade deadline with Hamilton's status still somewhat uncertain. Carolina could place Hamilton and his $5.75-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve in order to create more cap space, but using that space to add another player could prevent the team from activating a healthy Hamilton for what's shaping up to be a critical final stretch.

"If he was ready to go that last week of the season, starting on March 28, we have five games," Wadell said. "Those might be the most important five games of the year. So if he was ready to come back, you'd want to try to keep space to bring him back."

Hamilton was in the conversation for the Norris Trophy this season, recording 14 goals and 40 points in 47 games before sustaining the injury. The 26-year-old earned his first All-Star nod earlier in January.