Jordan Staal can best be described as the Carolina Hurricanes'; stealth leader.
 He';s not normally found in the headlines and he is not who first comes to
mind when thinking about the Hurricanes. Yet, if the team lost Staal, his
absence would be monumental.Being Without Staal Really Hurt

As a matter of fact, the Hurricanes were without him for an extended period of
time before. In September of 2014, Staal was hit by Josh Gorges of the Buffalo
Sabres in the third period of a preseason game in Buffalo and broke his leg. He
 was out for three months and his absence was felt across Hurricanes nation.

NEWS: Jordan Staal suffers broken bone in leg during #Canes preseason game.
Details: http://t.co/XVVIVFFkZT pic.twitter.com/KXietSMxAM

- Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) September 24, 2014

Mike Brehm of USA Today wrote on Dec. 29, 2014: "The Carolina Hurricanes will
find out what might have been when Jordan Staal makes his season debut. Not
that Staal's absence is total to blame for the Hurricanes' 29th-place showing
in the standings, but he has been missed." This was what the Hurricanes'; new
head coach at that time, Bill Peters, was faced with right out of the gate. His
 only veteran leader with a proven record was out for three months. Welcome to
the limelight coach.

Brehm also noted:

He [Staal] led the team last season in faceoff winning percentage (54.4%), was
one of their top penalty killers and also played on the power play. He took
more shifts than any other Hurricanes forward and chipped in 40 points in 82
games. But all of that was lost when he broke his leg in a preseason game. He
missed 35 games before returning tonight.

To say that Staal was missed is an understatement. His play was missed but also
 his leadership. His injury did, however, answer the question as to whether he
was overrated and overpaid.Jordan Staal Overrated and Overpaid?

Ironically, a week before he was injured I wrote a piece that asked Hurricanes
fans, "Is Jordan Staal Overrated and Overpaid?" At the time, the Hurricanes had
 missed the playoffs for the fifth season in a row, their head coach, Kirk
Muller, had been fired and there did not seem to be any hope that the team was
going to be better.Jordan Staal, Carolina Hurricanes  (Amy Irvin / The Hockey
Writers)

Although Staal had won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, he
did not have the same outgoing nature as his brother Eric. Neither brother is
going to win any outgoing personality awards, but Eric seemed more open than
Jordan and, as a result, Jordan wasn';t appreciated when he came to Raleigh
with a 10-year, $60 million contract in hand.

As a part of that 2014 article, I asked for fans'; impressions of Staal. A
typical response was something like this: "I sent a text to a friend who is an
avid Hurricanes fan. I asked him to respond with his first thought when I say,
Jordan Staal. He replied almost instantly: 'He has not lived up to the
expectations of an upper-level hockey player.'"

Other responses I received included, "He is definitely overpaid" and "He is
getting a pass because he is Eric's brother."  While not a scientific poll,
there seemed to be a consensus that Jordan needed to work harder and that
perhaps he was overrated and overpaid. But four years later, his stature has
grown and opinion has changed.

Over time, that same unscientific poll has yielded a different set of
responses. A few days ago I posted the question in a Hurricanes social media
group: What';s your first thought when I say, Jordan Staal?

Words like "solid" and "consistent" and "hard-worker" topped the list of
responses. Those initial thoughts have changed and he is respected and
considered a consistent, hard-working two-way center. For what he brings to the
 roster in size and experience, Staal is not overrated nor overpaid.Jordan
Staal (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)Leading by Example (Stealth)

I remember asking Staal after a particularly disappointing loss at home in 2015
 what he felt needed to be done: "He responded that veterans like him needed to
 help the younger players by setting a good example of hard work. To be honest,
 at that moment I thought that was a stock answer, but as the season
progressed, I saw his role as that veteran presence emerge."

There was something about that night that I will never forget. Staal had a
sense of determination and the realization that if his young teammates were
going to be led, his example needed to be resolute. He has played with
consistency and while others on his team may have "ordered take out", Staal
brought his lunch and hard hat and went to work. He';s a blue-collar hockey
player who leads by the example and others have noticed.

James Tanner, a former colleague at The Hockey Writers, wrote about Staal at
Editor in Leaf. Tanner is as astute a hockey mind as there is in the business
today and he made a convincing argument that Staal would be a great addition to
 the Toronto Maple Leafs: "He [Staal] is an elite defensive performer, who is
also a dominant possession player. He is consistent: you can pretty much write
in his 20 goals and 45 points every year."

Tanner also wrote that "Jordan Staal provides an elite defensive presence that
no one on the Leafs roster can currently come close to providing." This quiet,
 stealth leader is respected in the NHL.

A thank you note to our fans from Jordan Staal. pic.twitter.com/vLeqRINeFR

- Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) April 10, 2018

The Hurricanes are fortunate to have Staal on their roster and it will be
intriguing to watch his play this upcoming season with the new pieces that will
 surround him and with their new coach, Rod Brind';Amour. Staal may or may not
keep the co-captains'; "C" on his sweater, shared last year with Justin Faulk.
Most speculate that the "C" will land on Justin Williams, perhaps where it
should have been last season. But, "C" or not, Staal will come to the arena,
gear-up, and go to work. He will continue to lead in a quiet way that doesn';t
need recognition or a loud voice. He is a vital part of the Hurricanes'; future
 and his leadership is invaluable.

The post Jordan Staal: Hurricanes'; Stealth Leader appeared first on The Hockey
 Writers.

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