Jordan Staal’s place in Hurricanes history is already secure, and the case for hanging No. 11 in the rafters only gets stronger with every season he stays in Raleigh.
By the time the 2026-27 season opens, Staal will be entering his 15th year with Carolina and his 21st NHL season overall. He is already at 972 games played for the franchise, putting him 28 shy of 1,000 in a Hurricanes sweater since arriving in a trade in 2012. When his career is done, he is expected to stand as the longest-tenured player in team history.
The numbers tell part of the story. Since joining the Hurricanes, Staal has posted 198 goals, 301 assists and 499 points.
He has also landed inside the top 10 in Selke Trophy voting five times, a reminder that his value has never been limited to the scoreboard. The criticism for years was that he didn’t finish enough chances.
That changed in 2025-26, when he scored 20 goals for the first time in 10 years.
Then came the postseason run that pushed his legacy into another tier. Staal scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
At 37, he became the oldest player ever to win the award. He also helped deliver the Stanley Cup back to North Carolina for the first time since 2006, giving the Hurricanes their second championship and making Staal a two-time Stanley Cup winner.
That kind of finish only sharpened the argument for retirement. Eric Staal’s No. 12 was retired by the Hurricanes in 2025, and with the brothers no longer headed for a joint ceremony, Jordan’s No. 11 looks like the obvious next step. The team already has Brind’Amour’s 17, Glen Wesley’s 2 and Ron Francis’ 10 in the rafters.
Staal’s impact has never been just about production. Rod Brind’Amour said after Staal won the Conn Smythe and lifted the Cup, “It’s kind of an unbelievable ending to a great story.
I’m so proud of him, and I’m proud that he was able to do that in front of the whole hockey world. Everyone got to see what I’ve known forever: what kind of player he is, and leader.
We’re not hoisting that without him. It’s just not even close.
But I’m glad for him. I’ve seen this guy grind it out for 14 years and never waver.
It doesn’t always work out, as you know, but it’s nice to see the good guys get one.”
Jordan Martinook echoed that after Game 5, saying, “He’s putting up goals, points, and all of that right now, but he leads us all year. Obviously, everybody who’s been around here all year sees the way Jordo plays every night.
Some stretches aren’t filled with however many goals he’s scoring right now, but every night he’s the guy who sets the tone for our team. In the most important series of our season, he’s setting the tone every night and playing phenomenal.
That shows you what type of captain he is.”
Jaccob Slavin was just as direct before Game 5: “It’s unbelievable. I’ve been with him for 11 years now; he’s been my captain the whole time.
Obviously, he wasn’t wearing a letter for the first couple of years, but he was a leader on this team, always has been. It’s welcoming to see; he’s what, 37 years old and still one of the hardest workers on the team.”
When Staal’s career finally winds down, he will leave as one of the most beloved figures in Hurricanes history, right there with Eric Staal and Brind’Amour. He is a Cup champion, a Conn Smythe winner and a player who stayed when he could have gone elsewhere. By the end, he will also have more than 1,000 games with Carolina and be closing in on 1,500 for his career.
If the Hurricanes are deciding whose number should go up next, No. 11 makes the strongest case.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Came Shockingly Close To A Franchise Changing Tkachuk Trade
The Hurricanes have spent the past few seasons wondering how close they came to landing one of the NHLs biggest difference-makers in July 2022, when Matthew Tkachuk was moved out of Calgary. Florida ultimately got Tkachuk and a 2025 fourth-round pick for Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a 2025 first-round pick, but Carolina was right in the mix with an aggressive push of its own.
What makes the story linger is how different the ripple effects might have been for all three clubs if the Flames had gone another direction. For Carolina, the package reportedly centered on Martin Necas and Alexander Nikishin, along with Jake Gardiner and draft capital, a reminder of how thin the line can be between holding onto a core piece and swinging for a franchise-altering star. [Read more 🡒]