Staal Assumes Canes Captaincy

Everyone knew Eric Staal would be the captain of the Hurricanes one day, some just didn't expect it to come so soon.

The team announced today that Rod Brind'Amour - the team's captain since 2005 - was handing over the 'C' to the 25-year-old Staal.

The move was not wholly unanticipated, as Staal has been considered the future of the franchise since he was drafted second overall in 2003. Many, however, imagined the 39-year-old Brind'Amour finishing his career as captain and Staal taking over from there.

In the end, GM Jim Rutherford thought it best to act now, while the team sits in last place in the NHL and has nothing to lose.

"This would be the best time for somebody to understand what it takes to be a captain when you are in as bad of times as we're in," said Rutherford. "Different people have different opinions as to you wait until the end of the season or when this should be done. But I really feel very strongly that doing it at this point in time - when we've started our rebuilding of this team - is to give it to the guy that's going to lead this team on for the next several years."

Rutherford said he and the two players have met periodically over the course of the season to discuss when the change would take place. Brind'Amour, who in 2006 led the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup, gracefully acknowledged the time was right.

"The timing of it was kind of the question, we all knew that Eric was going to take over at some point. To me personally, I thought it was a good time to do it. Just to get his feet wet. Me kind of handing the torch over to him is really an honor to me because I know what kind of good person he is. We all know what kind of great player he is."

A classy statement by a truly classy player. Brind'Amour has always been a team-first guy and is truly one of the greatest examples of dedication and perseverance that young players have to look up to in today's NHL.

The move is a smart one by the Hurricanes. Staal is taking over a team that is in last place in the NHL, meaning there are no lofty expectations he has to shoulder. (Remember, the same thing happened with Sidney Crosby when he took the helm of the drifting Pittsburgh Penguins as a 19-year-old).

Meanwhile, Brind'Amour - who will serve as an alternate captain for the balance of the season - remains on board and can act as a mentor and source of counsel for the young Staal, easing the transition.

The Hurricanes made the right move in what will surely be a drastic changing of the guard as the Canes look to refocus their image as a team. The one certainty going in to the future is that their franchise cornerstone will be leading them. They can at least find comfort in that.