Hurricanes' Captain Comments on Future in Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to be a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference this season and 'Canes captain Jordan Staal is a big reason for their success. The pending free agent is hopeful this season won't be his last with the 'Canes.

The 34-year-old Staal enters the 2022-23 season making $6 million against the salary cap and coming off a season where he recorded 36 points in 78 games. He's relied upon to be more of a shut-down center these days, a role the lanky pivot is well suited for.

Staal met with the media this week and had this to say about his future with the franchise:

I want to be in the Hurricanes organization for as long as I can, and I'm sure whether it's an extension now or they re-up me at the end of the year or if they're done with me, it will happen. That's where I want to be. We've had a few conversations throughout the summer. I think we'll revisit it pretty soon here, and we'll see what they think and what they want to do. When they asked me that question it was like three minutes after we lost. It was right after we lost to New York. My mindset was always when I started in Hurricane land, I was just focused on getting through it and being relevant and really just being a part of it and then see what happens. So when they asked me that, I was, 'I have one more year.' I didn't think much of it.

I was actually really thrown off by the question at the time. And after I remember [thinking], 'Did I just screw that up?' Because it kind of blew up a little bit. I didn't even think much of it at the time. But that's kind of where my head is at now. "It's hard to say when you start creeping toward 35 how many years you've got left in the tank, and I've played [16] years already, but every summer you kind of get refreshed and you start the season, you get excited about it. It's what I've been doing my whole life. So I'm kind of creeping towards I'll just play until they kick me out of here, but we'll see.