Carolina Hurricanes: Top 3 Captain Candidates If Justin Williams Retires

Justin Williams has still not made a decision as to whether he will retire or return to Carolina for one last season. The Carolina Hurricanes’ captaincy is up in the air for the time being, but there are quite a few players waiting in the wings that could fill his shoes.

Justin Williams has been arguably one of the greatest captains to lead the Hurricanes in recent memory. Williams, in my opinion, is right up there with Rod Brind’amour, Eric Staal, and Ron Francis in terms of leadership ability, and his ability to elevate and inspire his teammates.

Since returning to the Hurricanes during the 2017-18 season, Williams has been an integral part of the Hurricanes’ complete turnaround after an entire decade of mediocrity. It was only fitting that he was named Captain during the 2018-19 season, after the departure of Bill Peters and his terrible ‘co-captains’ idea that saw Justin Faulk and Jordan Staal alternating captaincy for home and away games.

The Hurricanes have been blessed this past season with leadership galore, even from players that don’t have an extra letter on their jersey. Jaccob Slavin notably filled in for Jordan Staal as an alternate captain during Staal’s recovery period after sustaining a concussion roughly midway through this past season.

Until Williams makes a decision to either retire or return to the Hurricanes, the Captaincy remains a big question mark looming over the Hurricanes for the 2019-20 season. Luckily, the Hurricanes have more than a few leaders on the roster that could be excellent candidates for the captaincy in the event that Justin Williams does indeed decide to hang up the skates for good.

Jordan Staal

Leadership seems to run in the Staal family. His elder brother, Eric, was named captain of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010, replacing Rod Brind’amour who was named alternate captain that same year. Eric became the fifth captain in franchise history after moving to Raleigh from Hartford, and Jordan Staal would follow suit not long after Eric’s departure from the franchise.

Jordan Staal was famously a member of the co-captaincy era alongside Justin Faulk in 2017; the conclusion of this season saw Staal named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Staal has since served as an alternate captain for the 2018-19 season, alongside Justin Faulk.

Staal has an uncanny ability to make just the right play at just the right time, and excels at lifting up his teammates during times of stress or in very intense situations. Staal is also the quarterback of the Hurricanes’ penalty kill squad, which he does very efficiently and effectively. A true captain leads both on and off the ice, and Jordan Staal does both wonderfully.

Players have referred to Staal as being someone they look up to, and someone who leads by example. In the event that Williams retires, having Staal take his place would be an obvious choice, were it not for a select few other names.

Jordan Martinook

Jordan Martinook has brought an entirely new level of energy to the Hurricanes. From his over-the-top, wildly enthusiastic lineup readings in the locker room before every game, to his highly energetic style of play, Martinook is in a class all his own.

Despite playing through injuries in the latter half of the season and throughout the playoffs, Martinook still managed to make an impact both on and off the ice, and was always right there sticking up for his teammates during scuffles and scrums.

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Martinook has an unquestionably electric personality that you just can’t help but love. His teammates love him, and he clearly loves them even more. He took it upon himself to take rookie winger Andrei Svechnikov under his wing, and does everything he can to elevate and protect his teammates in whatever way possible.

Martinook’s eagerness to give 150% and lay it all on the line for his team and teammates is unparalleled by anyone on the roster, or in the league for that matter. Martinook, given the C, would easily go down as one of the most charismatic, affable, and downright selfless captains in Hurricanes history.

Jaccob Slavin

Jaccob Slavin, to me, is the most obvious choice as captain for the 2019-20 season and beyond if Williams does not return. A consummate professional if there ever were one, Slavin leads consistently on and off the ice. Not to mention, the man even has two ‘C’s in his name. One of those should obviously stand for ‘captain’, right?

Slavin is very involved in the local community, and has championed many initiatives off the ice in benefit of the community. Most recently, Slavin teamed up with Kioti Tractor in the Kioti Assist for Hunger initiative to end childhood hunger; the initiative raised $42,636 out of the initial $25,000 goal. Slavin personally contributed for each goal and assist he accumulated on the ice.

Not only is Slavin active in the community, he is also an impeccable leader on the ice. Slavin very rarely puts the Hurricanes in sticky situations, and has gotten them out of more than a few.

The 25 year-old blueliner has been consistent throughout the ups and downs of the franchise, and is a huge reason why the Hurricanes were able to turn their season around and put together a dazzling run from January 1st, all the way up until May 16th, when the Hurricanes’ postseason ended.

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As I mentioned before, the Hurricanes have players with leadership ability in droves for the first time in a very long time. If Williams does indeed retire, he will be leaving some very big footprints behind. The culture that he and Rod Brind’amour have cultivated in Raleigh and in the locker room will last for years to come, and the players that are a part of it are completely bought-in. I, for one, believe that whoever Rod Brind’amour chooses to fill Williams’ massive footprints will undoubtedly do a phenomenal job.

Question for CC Readers: Who would you like to see as the next Hurricanes captain?