THUNDER BAY – It’s been a summer of change in Raleigh, N.C.
The Carolina Hurricanes fired long-time general manager Ron Francis, who was replaced by Don Waddell.
Coach Bill Peters resigned after four seasons and landed behind the bench of the Calgary Flames, former Hurricanes star Rod Brind’Amour chosen to take over the Carolina reins.
Goaltender Cam Ward, who 12 years ago led the Hurricanes to their one and only Stanley Cup championship, left as a free agent and signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Last month, during the NHL draft, Carolina and Calgary completed a five-player deal that landed the Hurricanes defencemen Dougie Hamilton and Adam Fox and forward Michael Ferland, in exchange for centre Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.
When the dust settled, captain Jordan Staal says he thinks after nine straight seasons on the playoff sidelines, it was time to shake things up.
“Obviously when things aren’t going well, things get changed,” said Staal, now the second-oldest player on the Carolina roster, behind fellow forward Justin Williams.
“Obviously we’ve missed the playoffs quite a few years in a row. Fortunately I’m still sticking around, but a lot of guys have been moved, and with new ownership, the trickle-down effect has definitely happened. But I’m excited about it.
“I think it’s been moves that make sense to me and could do some really good things next year.”
It’s not that Carolina isn’t close to finding success.
They were above .500 for the third straight season in 2017-18, but missed the NHL Eastern Conference wild-card by 14 points. A year earlier it was eight points.
It hasn’t been easy, the 29-year-old Staal admitted.
“(We’ve) been in the mix for four or five years in a row and just can’t quite get over the hump,” Staal said. “You can’t really put your finger on exactly what it might be to get us over that hump. But obviously with the changes and the stuff that’s going on we’ll have it this year and we’ll do some good things.”
A 12-year veteran, Staal has developed into a steady, solid two-way player, putting up 19 goals and 27 assists in 79 games, bringing his career totals to 206 goals, 276 assists and 482 points in 843 games.
Despite the on-ice woes, the one-time Stanley Cup champion said there’s nowhere else he’d rather play. He’s still got five seasons left on a 10-year, $60-million deal he signed in 2012, was named the team’s captain at the start of last season and said he relishes being an elder statesman on the team and wants to be there when things finally do turn around.
“I love it there. It’s been a lot of fun for myself, my wife and my family. We enjoy living there and obviously the hockey’s been lots of ups and downs, but in the end it’s been an enjoyable time in my career,” said Staal, nominated this past season for the Bill Masterton Trophy.
“I want to continue to play (there) and you can see the potential of what it could be, if you put together a team that’s up there and of a winning calibre. Obviously Jordan can attest to it. It’s a fun place to play. But when you have that many losing seasons in a row, it can get frustrating for fans. You’ve got to find ways to win games if you really want to bring back the culture so fans want to come back and watch.”
