There’s certainly been nothing quiet about the 2017 offseason for the Carolina Hurricanes. Multiple trades, free agent signings, contract extensions and even rumblings of a possible ownership change have left plenty to talk about.
One piece of news that still is yet to come is the naming of a team captain. That post has been vacant for the Canes since forward Eric Staal was traded to the New York Rangers at the 2016 trade deadline, and the team went all of last season without someone wearing the C.
General manager Ron Francis and head coach Bill Peters do not seem in any hurry to name a captain, and if they do give someone the C, it would likely be after training camp. It’s certainly possible the team will go into the season without a captain again, but in the event the Canes do decide to name one, let’s take a look at the five most likely candidates, and the pros and cons of naming each captain.
Jordan Staal– The team’s top two-way forward has worn a letter his entire tenure with the Canes, as he was named an alternate captain after coming over in a 2012 draft trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He can certainly lead by example, matching up against the other team’s top players on a nightly basis and doing an exceptional job of shutting them down. He won a Stanley Cup in 2009 with Pittsburgh (sweeping Carolina in the conference finals in the process), so he knows what it takes to succeed. He also should have learned plenty about being a captain from his brother.
However, it’s that same family tie that raises the biggest red flag about Staal taking up the captaincy. The Canes are barely a year and a half removed from the Eric Staal era, and giving another Staal the captaincy may not be the best way to move on. For many years, Carolina was “Eric’s team,” and Jordan may not want to take that over. Were he to don the C, comparisons to his brother would be inevitable, making it difficult for him to forge his own path. It’s probably for the best that the Canes steer clear of naming another Staal as captain, and it would be perfectly understandable for Jordan to not want to take over where his brother used to lead.
Justin Faulk- Since breaking in as a rookie during the 2011-12 season, Faulk has grown leaps and bounds as a leader of Carolina’s defensemen. He is the top offensive threat from the blue line, particularly on the power play. He has served as an alternate captain the past two years, and while he has not seen the NHL’s postseason, he also knows how to win, capturing an NCAA championship with University of Minnesota Duluth in 2011.
Faulk, however, does not seem to be the most vocal leader off the ice. That is not a bad thing, and no slight on him, but the team needs a bigger voice to be its captain. Faulk is a fine candidate and a good alternate captain, but there are other, more deserving choices to wear the C.
Jaccob Slavin- While Slavin has never worn a letter in his two years with the Canes, that does not mean he hasn’t been a leader. He is by far the team’s best shutdown defenseman, thriving against elite competition on a nightly basis. He has shown his commitment to Carolina and the Raleigh area, inking a seven-year contract extension last week. He and his wife are very active in the community, and Slavin has been a presence at numerous offseason events, modeling Carolina’s new Adidas jerseys and making an appearance at the team’s draft party in PNC Arena. He’s a player of high character, mature beyond his years and certainly has shown an ability to lead the team and community on and off the ice.
Slavin may be mature beyond his years, but, simply put, asking a player with two years of pro experience who has yet to wear a letter to wear the most important one may be too much. A team seeking to snap an eight-year playoff drought probably needs a captain with more experience. Slavin may be a great choice for captain further down the road, but he should get some more experience under his belt first.
Jeff Skinner- If the Canes want to go the “make your big offensive producer the captain” route, Skinner’s the guy. He has led Carolina in scoring each of the past two years, and posted a career-high 37 goals last season. Skinner has matured greatly since winning the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2010-11. He has grown more poised on and off the ice, and he seemed to really take on more of a leadership burden after Eric Staal was traded. He already leads the way on the ice: last season, when the team went on a 13-game point streak in March to fight its way into the playoff hunt, Skinner was front and center, seemingly always there to score the big goal. If the team wants a player who leads by example on the ice, Skinner is the best choice.
Being captain, however, is a lot of pressure, and Skinner is very important to the Canes’ success. He is the best natural scorer on a team that struggles to score, and Carolina simply cannot afford to have the captaincy drag him down the way it seemed to do with Eric Staal at times. It may be better to let Skinner simply focus on scoring and give someone else, with playoff experience, the C.
Justin Williams- Williams is easily the most logical candidate to wear the C. The 35-year-old forward is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, including with Carolina in 2006. They don’t call him “Mr. Game 7” for nothing, as Williams has a reputation for coming through in the biggest moments of the biggest games. He’s by far Carolina’s most experienced player, and having played under Rod Brind’Amour — perhaps the best captain in Hurricanes history — Williams knows a thing or two about leadership. He’s the ideal choice to lead a young team forward and show it the way to success.
The only mark against Williams is that he has not played a game for Carolina since 2009. Asking a “new” player to be the captain right away is asking a lot, and Williams has refused to discuss the captaincy in multiple interviews this summer since returning. However, assuming he makes a quick transition back to Raleigh and acclimates to his new teammates well, Williams is the best choice on the Canes’ roster to wear the C.
While the Hurricanes are certainly not required to fill their year-long vacancy at captain, having one designated, overall leader to bring the team forward on its quest to end the NHL’s longest postseason drought would seem to be beneficial for a young group. If the Canes do look to name a new captain, there are several deserving candidates on the roster.
