Mar 26, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward
Jordan Staal(11) skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes defeated the Penguins 5-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Staal
I add another injury plagued player to this list. Jordan Staal broke his leg last season and missed a significant amount of time which led the Carolina Hurricanes to finish dead last in the Metropolitan Division. The Canes have been overpaying Jordan for his services for too long. Injuries are one thing but when he is playing and healthy he needs to be the second line center that the coaches want him to be.
Staal is a very important piece to this roster but he surely is not worth the $6 million he is getting. Jordan has deeply expressed how excited he is to start the 2015-2016 season and get back on the ice with teammates. The most difficult part for him will be getting back into the grind of the season, being able to get back into shape and playing a full 82 games.
I think the Canes will be slightly better than last year, but still are no where close to getting back into the playoff race. However, while Staal is all but forgotten among most of the hockey world, he’ll be pivotal in their resurgence if he can find the level he played at in Pittsburgh.
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