Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal Looks to Carry Team Both Offensively and Defensively

The Carolina Hurricanes have experienced a wide range of ups and downs from 2012 draft day acquisition Jordan Staal, but he looks to go out and carry the team both offensively and defensively this season.

More from Cardiac Cane – Derek Ryan is the Biggest X-Factor

After a serious leg injury in the 2014-2015 preseason, Staal missed nearly half of the year, not making his season debut until late December in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

From that point on, Jordan Staal worked hard to get back into his stellar preseason shape, and he got better and better as the season progressed with an offensively anemic Carolina Hurricanes club.

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

In 46 games played last season, Staal netted just 6 goals, but he tallied 24 points, which made him a .52 point per game player. That would make him a 43-point player in a full 82-game season, which is a little under the 50-point number that I think most fans hope for and expect from him, especially if he gets a lot of powerplay time, which he does.

Former Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said that if Jordan Staal can score 20 goals and be a plus player, he is worth the $6 million per season price tag that he carries, and that is one thing that I always agreed with him on.

It is a given that Staal will be heavily featured at even strength, as well as on the first powerplay and penalty killing units, as he was last season, but the big question is if he will be able to meet the lofty expectations that fans and management justifiably have for him.

He is a big money player that has been given a big role on the club both on the ice and in the leadership department. Staal played well, all things considered, last season, so hopefully he can carry that success into a full, healthy year in 2015-2016.

Since coming to the Hurricanes in 2012, Jordan Staal has been a very effective possession player, as well as a force in the advanced stats.

Jordan Staal has elite corsi numbers over the past three seasons, but his production doesn’t resemble that, which makes him somewhat under appreciated by the Hurricanes fan base.

Carolina Hurricanes

It is worth considering that he hasn’t been blessed with great linemates at times. He has never been able to gel with Jeff Skinner, Patrick Dwyer played in a top-six role when he shouldn’t have, and he didn’t really get a lot of playing time with Eric Staal until the latter stages of last season. He performed very well with his brother, and if Elias Lindholm or Jeff Skinner can emerge and finish out that trio, the Canes will have an explosive first line.

Reasonable expectations for Jordan Staal has also long been a problem in Carolina. Many seem to think that he needs to produce like his brother to be worth the money, but he will never be a 70+ point guy. A great season for him would be 20+ goals, 50+ points, and a positive plus/minus rating while averaging 20:00 of ice time per night. If he does that, he is well worth every single cent of his big price tag.

This season, Jordan Staal has the opportunity to breakout and be that big player that everyone expects him to be. He is healthy, he knows his role, and the team around him looks like it is getting better as the young core continues to get older.

He will likely play alongside his brother incredibly often on the first line, which would push young Victor Rask into a full-time top-six role. One of the other young guys, like the aforementioned Skinner and Lindholm, will need to step it up and play solid top-line minutes consistently in order for the Canes first line to meet its potential.

This season is a big one for Jordan Staal, and his play will play a massive role in where the Carolina Hurricanes are in March and April.

Next: Carolina Hurricanes Player Ratings in EA Sports NHL 16