After weeks of speculation, the Hurricanes have indeed finalized their coaching situation for next season. The team announced that they have agreed to multi-year extensions with head coach Rod Brind’Amour along with assistants Jeff Daniels and Tim Gleason, Chris Huffine, and Paul Schonfelder. GM Don Waddell released the following statement:
Rod has been instrumental to the success we’ve had over the last six seasons. Ever since he joined the organization 24 years ago, Rod has embodied what it means to be a Hurricane. We hope to keep him a Hurricane for life.
While this deal doesn’t make Brind’Amour a Hurricane for life, it will keep him around for the foreseeable future as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that this deal will run for the next five years.
A few weeks ago, a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that the Hurricanes had pulled an extension offer for Brind’Amour off the table, but that extension talks were advancing after the initial report. After Carolina was ousted from the playoffs at the hands of the New York Rangers, speculation began to emerge that Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes organization may be headed their separate ways.
The speculation advanced so much in the last few days, that Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be postponing their search for head coach to see if Brind’Amour would ultimately become available. However, their getting a deal done sheds some light on the Maple Leafs’ pivot towards Craig Berube as their next head coach.
A legendary part of the Hurricanes organizational history, Brind’Amour began his coaching career as Carolina’s Director of Player Development during the 2010-11 NHL season, one year after he retired as a player. Beginning in the 2011-12 season, Brind’Amour was named an assistant coach, a position he would hold until the 2018-19 season.
Taking over as the head coach at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Brind’Amour helped turn around a Hurricanes team that experienced several years of mediocrity. In his first year behind the bench, he would coach Carolina to the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals before eventually being swept by the Boston Bruins.
The Hurricanes would reach the Eastern Conference Finals once more under Brind’Amour’s reign, this time being eliminated by the Florida Panthers in another sweep. Throughout his six-year tenure as head coach for Carolina, Brind’Amour has amassed an impressive 278-130-44 in the regular season, along with three Metropolitan Division crowns.
If there is one, the major drawback of Brind’Amour’s track record in Carolina is the lack of Stanley Cup Finals appearances. The Hurricanes have become one of the deeper teams on paper, but have been unable to conquer the Eastern Conference up to this point.
In 74 postseason games as a head coach, Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes have only recorded 38 wins, a 10% dropoff from their regular season success. With their last Stanley Cup Final appearance coming nearly 20 years ago, the time is now for Brind’Amour to coach this team to the promised land.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report that Brind’Amour and his assistants received contract extensions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
They should! Rod is made for that team and his loyalty to it is beyond question. Now go to work and give him better players to work with!
Probably should have let him walk.
@Brennan delivers the words that we (well, some of us, at least) wanted to see: “…the Carolina Hurricanes have signed Rod Brind’Amour, as well as the rest of the coaching staff, to multi-year extensions.” As @Johnny Z just wrote a few minutes ago, “go out and get him better players” to complement the few good ones already there. Step one was getting Jake, who, hopefully, will be able to re-up.
Love Jeff Daniels, so good with Keanu in Speed.
Now get Rod a goalie who doesn’t melt during the playoffs.
I cant help but feel like we had one on the bench… sigh.