Carolina Hurricanes: Ian Cole and his leadership role

The Carolina Hurricanes’ roster underwent a lot of changes during this offseason. With a lot of new additions, one player that is set to succeed in Carolina is former repeat Stanley Cup Champion Ian Cole. Cole signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, for $2.9 million. With the Hurricanes re-structuring their defense, Cole’s pedigree will need to shine through in Raleigh.

At 6’1, 225 lbs, Ian Cole is a man who knows how to use his body to lay out opponents. Very willing to engage in the physical side of the game, he’s often engaged in board battles when he’s in his own zone, and it allows him to use his strength to move players off the puck and free it up for teammates. While this might not seem exciting, it’s effective most of the time.

Cole is not a name that many fans will look at in awe of the player he is. He’s not going to get loads of points from the blueline, he’s not going to be that powerplay quarterback. In his career, Ian Cole has played 595 NHL games and has only scored 27 goals and 119 assists. He’s not going to conquer the world with his offensive talent.

Cole is a defensively responsible, penalty-killing defenseman who can skate, but it’s not considered one of his core strengths. His puck-moving ability is not the best, however, he’s fully capable of moving the puck around if it does find the blade of his stick. With Cole, Carolina has a useful defenseman in his own zone, who can play either side too.

However, what Cole was likely brought in for is not the on-ice performances. At 31 years old, I think everyone knows that Ian Cole is Ian Cole. He’s not going to suddenly take a gigantic step forward and win the Norris Trophy for the league’s best defenseman, as much as I would love to be wrong.

Cole was brought in for his locker room presence, and his Stanley Cup playoff experience, as he captured back-to-back Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He is not a player that has been brought into the team to eat minutes like others before him. He’s here to help guide the team through the rough waters of the post-season, should they make it.

Cole, by all accounts, is very charismatic off the ice. This player to this team has been called the match made in heaven. Cole fits perfectly with the public persona of the Carolina Hurricanes, or at least what it was. He was signed because he embodies everything the team has strived for off the ice.

All in all, Cole could very well be a big-time player for Carolina, but it seems like he’s here to help the team deal with the pressure they will hopefully find themselves under in the spring. Cole will likely not be a top 4 defenseman when the team is healthy on the blueline, but it is very likely that he helps the team from his minority role, and assists players with letters in leading this team deeper.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What do you think of the Ian Cole signing?