1200 Games Is A Milestone For Staal

If the thus far 0-4 Canadian swing has had one bright spot, it comes in the form of Jordan Staal starting game 1200 of his career, and doing so in a Carolina Hurricanes' sweater. Since coming to Carolina for the 2012-13 season, Staal has been an offensive fixture.

Netting 158 goals for the Hurricanes, Staal has been as high as 3rd on the Canes scoring list once (2015-16 with 20 goals) and only been outside the top 10 once when he was 11th. He had 8 goals back in 2019-20 which put him 2 from the top 10. With goals in 10 of his 11 post seasons, his best in the 4 trips to the playoffs with Carolina was the 2020-21 showing with 5 goals.

Staal's most significant contribution to the Hurricanes has been in the face-off circle where his has not been below 50% in the 12 seasons he has been in Raleigh. Accumulating a career 53.2%, Staal has reached as high as 59.1% as a Hurricane. Since 2018-19, he has been in the top ten in the NHL three times from the dot.

This season is the fourth Staal has serves as the Hurricanes Captain and he is currently the longest standing Cane but his numbers to date have not what they typically are by this point in the season. With just 9 points on the season (3G 6A), Staal has averaged the lowest TOI since his rookie season in Pittsburgh. He is also hovering at -10 for the year, which is the lowest since a -18 logged in his first year as a Hurricane. Compounding Staal's offensive woes are the 18 PIM picked up in just 27 games.

No matter the outcome of the 2023-24, or Jordan Staal's production during, the 1200 career games mark cannot be overlooked. That it comes as a Carolina Hurricane is only fitting. "Jordan Staal embodies what it means to be a Hurricane." as Hurricanes General Manager Don Waddell put it when Staal signed his four-year, $11.6 million contract to stay with the Carolina Hurricanes. The move means that Staal will very likely end his career as a Carolina Hurricane, and cement his place in Hurricanes' history.