Carolina Hurricanes have decisions to make but one might be set: Stastny on Staal line
The Carolina Hurricanes have finished their preseason games and trimmed down the training camp roster, but there are still some decisions for the team to make — and not just the final NHL roster.
There’s also the matter of putting together some line combinations and the third defensive pair before the Oct. 12 season-opener against Columbus.
A year ago, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour decided on a line of Jordan Staal, Nino Niederreiter and Jesper Fast, and stuck with it all season. The three forwards provided grinding, heavy play, physical defense and enough offense — Niederreiter had 24 goals — and no line was more consistent throughout the season for the Canes.
Niederreiter left in free agency, but Brind’Amour apparently has his replacement ready: veteran forward Paul Stastny.
Instead of 21-11-71, it should be 26-11-71, at least early in the season. That was the line Thursday as the Canes went through practice at Invisalign Arena.
Stastny, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract Aug. 23 with the Hurricanes, would be good with that.
“When (linemates) play a direct game, kind of no-nonsense, and they’re predictable, it’s great,” Stastny told The News & Observer during training camp. “When you play with guys who aren’t predictable, it can be really good or really hard at times. For me, knowing where guys are going to be, especially in a game that’s so fast, is important. They bring that to the table.”
Stastny, 36, could have signed with other teams given his experience and versatility. But Carolina is where he wanted to be.
He likes the style and system the Canes have under Brind’Amour. He likes the “wave-after-wave” aggressive and attacking approach the Canes take to games and there’s the proven success — playoff berths the past four seasons and two division titles.
“Everyone wants to win, but you know why they’re winning,” he said. “You see the culture, you see how hard guys train in the summer and during training camp.
“Everyone seems to embody the head coach here. Pretty quiet, humble, low-key. Very minimal egos from what I can tell. Any given day you see guys sit down with other guys and there are no cliques, which is the culture they built here where everybody feels part of a family whether you’re a new guy or you’ve been here so many years.”
Stastny is a pro’s pro. He has been around the league for 16 seasons, playing for four teams before signing with Carolina. He knows what works and doesn’t work, understands the ebbs and flows of long seasons. He has that savvy that comes with playing more than 1,000 NHL games.
One thing missing in his long career: a Stanley Cup. That’s what he’s after with the Canes.
“Over the last couple of years you’ve seen what this team has done,” he said. “As they’ve grown, they’ve gotten closer and closer. I’m just hoping with the experience they’ve added, I’m able to help them out and we can have a chance to win.”
Stastny scored in his first preseason game, deflecting a shot by defenseman Dylan Coghlan against Tampa Bay for a power-play goal. He later joked that he was just trying to get out of the way of Coghlan’s heavy bomb of a shot, but he was positioned in the right spot to make the play.
Stastny, who had 21 goals last season for the Winnipeg Jets, could be used at center if need be. He can fit on different lines, be used on special teams.
“He’s a veteran player who knows how to play,” Brind’Amour said. “Whatever situation you want to put him in, he gets it. He’s been there. So there’s a lot of comfort in that.”
