Carolina Hurricanes Are Still Looking For a Captain

Carolina Hurricanes are alternating four “A’s” right now but would it be better to just go ahead and name a C?

The month of October has been a thorn in the side of the Carolina Hurricanes for some time now. Season after season, the Hurricanes perform poorly around Halloween time, and it always seems to come back to haunt them come March and April. The current trend though of blowing leads is bad, really bad. It’s something that might even make March and April irrelevant.

It seems clear the Hurricanes lack the leadership and resolve to finish out games right now. So, it seems natural to look at the void in the captaincy as the missing screw in the Carolina machine.

With the home opener rapidly approaching and the Carolina Hurricanes looking for someone to take up the mantle, it might be time for Bill Peters to name a captain. Yesterday, we conducted a twitter poll to see who our readers thought should wear the ‘C’. Here’s what you said.

We want to know who Caniac Nation thinks should wear the 'C' on their sweater. What do y'all think?
— Cardiac Cane (@CardiacCane) October 23, 2016

Caniac Nation seems pretty split between Jordan Staal and Justin Faulk, with about 70% preferring either one. Second year defenseman Jaccob Slavin received 13%. In the ‘Other’ option, we received write-in answers for Jeff Skinner 10 times, Victor Rask 5 times, Noah Hanifin once, and Sebastian Aho once.

The Favorites:

Staal and Faulk have become natural leaders for this team. Both have been with the franchise for at least four seasons and are steady in the locker room. We don’t think anyone would really complain with either of them being made captain.

Faulk represents the Hurricanes youth movement, especially on the blueline, and is a two time NHL All-Star. He also produces at the offensive end as well as any defenseman not named Eric Karlsson. Despite this, Faulk has struggled in his own end so far this season, directly resulting in some tough plays for his team. If he is bestowed the captaincy, that has to change quickly.

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As for Jordan Staal, he probably makes the most sense. What will be fascinating is if Jordan wants the ‘C’. He’d have to live out of Eric’s shadow even after he brother left. Also, with the team moving away from the past, it seems a little weird awarding the captaincy to another guy named Staal, doesn’t it?.

The “We Could See It”:

Jaccob Slavin has roared onto the scene in his short time with the Hurricanes. Already, he is the shutdown d-man on his team and has shown no signs of giving that up. Perhaps what’s even more impressive is that Slavin stayed the entire summer in Raleigh to live and train. Even as a second year professional, Slavin has already shown dedication to the franchise and some captain potential.

The longest tenured skater on the Hurricanes, Jeff Skinner has had his ups and downs in his career. Right now though, Skinner is tearing it up offensively. His effort has been questioned in the past, but you’d be hard pressed to find a harder working Hurricane right now. He knows the team, he scores big time goals, and is a full of determination.

The Dark Horse:

We don’t know how its possible, but Victor Rask gets better in every game he plays in. When he was rushed into the NHL to replace Jordan Staal, he wasn’t expected to become much, perhaps a 3rd line center. In his sophomore year, people said he’d peak on the 2nd line. Now in year three, Rask is the best offensive center on the Hurricanes and shows no indication of stopping. He may not be that fiery, but Rask could be a sneaky candidate for Coach Peters.

Prediction:

Currently, our minds are leaning towards Jordan Staal, who is a safe choice for captain. However, our hearts would love to see one of the two guys sharing an ‘A’. That’s either Jeff Skinner or Victor Rask.