‘Where I want to be’: Canes captain doesn’t want this season to be his last with Carolina

Jordan Staal raised his stick over his head with both hands, standing at center ice, triumphant.

Call it the first Storm Surge of the new season, if only a solo celebration. Or, perhaps, just a frivolous moment during an informal skate.

The Carolina Hurricanes captain joined several players Friday for a voluntary workout at Invisalign Arena, competing in a four-on-four mini-scrimmage. Staal’s red squad won, thus the brief mock celebration.

“Big game and a big win for us,” Staal quipped. “A good start.”

Staal, who turned 34 on Saturday, finds it a bit hard to believe that he’s about to start his 11th season with the Hurricanes and in the final year of his contract. The memory of his trade to Carolina from Pittsburgh in June 2012, slipping on a red Canes jersey for the first time and signing a lengthy extension still seems fresh at times, even after a decade.

“It’s crazy, right?’ he said Friday. “So many good things have happened and just being a part of this community and this city, it has been a blessing for me and my family. It’s where I want to be.”

Staal raised eyebrows after the Canes’ second-round Stanley Cup playoff loss to the New York Rangers. During his exit interview with the media, he said, “I’m going to ride out this contract. Eleven years is a long time here and it has been special. I’m going to ride it out next year and hopefully end it with a bang and go from there.”

Staal clarified that Friday, saying he did not plan on the 2022-23 season being his last with the Hurricanes, or in the NHL. Not that kind of end.

“I’m excited about staying here,” Staal said. “Whether we get a deal done now or later or whatnot, I think my home is here and it’s where I want to be.”

It’s safe to say Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour will want him to stay. The big center remains one of league’s best defensive forwards and has handled the responsibility of wearing the “C” as captain very well.

“He’s led the way for a while now. It all starts with him,” Brind’Amour said last season

Among the skaters on the ice Friday with Staal were Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Jordan Martinook, Jesper Fast and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. There also were some who will play for the Canes in the 2022 NHL Prospects Showcase that Carolina is hosting.

The Hurricanes’ preseason camp starts soon after the prospects tournament, the team taking on a different look after a 2021-22 season that Staal and everyone associated with the organization believe ended too soon.

One of Staal’s linemates from last season, winger Nino Niederreiter, is gone. Also leaving were center Vincent Trocheck and defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

“You never really know what to expect,” Staal said. “Every summer there are changes. You hope to keep the same team, but business is business and the cap is the cap.”

Staal smiled, adding, “And I’m no longer the oldest player on the team.”

The Canes traded for defenseman Brent Burns, 37 — “He’s a beast,” Staal said — and signed free-agent forward Paul Stastny, who is 36. They also traded for Max Pacioretty, although the veteran forward could be out until February after an Achilles injury that required surgery.

“We brought in some players who we hope can really push the team forward,” Staal said.

It should make for a highly competitive training camp. The Canes have signed forward Derek Stepan to a player tryout contract, and on Friday signed defenseman Calvin de Haan to a PTO.

Staal said he spent much of the summer in Thunder Bay, Ontario, his childhood home. One highlight of the offseason was joining his brothers for a golf round at Pebble Beach, a gift Jordan received as part of his 1,000th career game ceremony in 2021. Staal said he birdied the seventh hole — the picturesque par-3 — and shot 81.

Staal is hoping there would be three Staals in the league this year. Defenseman Marc Staal is with the Florida Panthers. The oldest Staal brother, Eric, has a PTO with the Panthers. The former Canes captain is trying to play his way to a new contract at 37 after a successful stint as captain of Team Canada at the Olympics last winter.

“He’s got to show he’s got his stuff and he can play,” Jordan Staal said. “I’m biased, but I believe he can do it.”

Watching the end of the 2022 playoffs after the Game 7 loss to the Rangers was difficult, Staal said. The Canes lost all six road games in the two playoff rounds after a regular season in which they were 25-12-4 on the road in winning the Metropolitan Division with 116 points.

That stung. This season, Staal would like to raise the Stanley Cup, as he first did with the Pens in 2009 — with both hands, triumphant.

“You want to get in the playoffs and you want to have a chance,” Staal said. “Things have got to click and you need to get a little puck luck and all those things. We’re going to keep pushing and pushing to get farther and farther.”