Hurricanes fans were pleading at the end of the 2011-2012 NHL season for General Manager Jim Rutherford to find a better compliment for team captain Eric Staal on the team's first line.
[caption id="attachment_19" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford at Hurricanes Fun Fest. Photo by Michael Garko."]
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Rutherford listened, and has responded in a tremendous way, by trading for Jordan Staal from Pittsburgh. Rutherford quickly followed that blockbuster deal up by signing the younger Staal brother to a 10-year/$60 million contract extension. The deal is the longest contract Rutherford has signed a player to in his career.
“We know it’s not easy to get players like Jordan,” said head coach Kirk Muller at the team's conditioning camp. “It makes our team better. He’s a big body, which we were hoping to get in our lineup up front.”
Muller has stated that he will "experiment" having the Staal brothers on the same line during the preseason. The move would likely move Eric to left wing, he played on the gold medal Canadian Olympic team in 2010.
The signing of Jordan Staal not only improved the team statistically, it drastically improved the image of the 'Canes across the entire league.
“Based on my conversations this morning with the free agents that we’re dealing with,” Rutherford told CarolinaHurricanes.com earlier this month, “the perception about the Hurricanes bringing Jordan Staal in has made a difference in free agents picking the Hurricanes to come to.”
Since the signing of Jordan Staal, the Hurricanes have also inked extensions with defenseman Jay Harrison and forwards Zach Boychuk and Jerome Samson.
At the Carolina Hurricanes annual Summer Fun Fest at the PNC Arena, Rutherford stated he is still looking to signing two more solid players going into this season, including a powerful forward through a possible trade.
If Rutherford can land even just one of the two players he hopes to sign, look for Carolina to not only compete for their first Southeast Division crown since 2006, but be a serious contender to make a deep run into this year's Stanley Cup playoffs.
Michael Garko is a Chat Sports senior writer. E-mail him at: mgarko@chatsports.com or reach him on Twitter: @michaelgarko.
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