Even as the Carolina Hurricanes fight for the No. 1 seed in the Central Division, the future of head coach Rod Brind’Amour remains up in the air.
Brind’Amour’s contract expires after this season and while he has previously stated that he’d “love” to work out a deal to stay with the Hurricanes, it appears he wants to prioritize the futures of his staff over his own.
“I understand that one of the biggest issues there is that Brind’Amour has asked that as much as he wants himself to get a contract extension, he also wants extensions for his coaching staff, the training staff and the equipment staff, which also are not signed for next year,” said Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. “And he said as much as a priority as his contract is, that is also an enormous priority for [Brind’Amour]. So what he is telling the organization is that he wants a situation where they are taken care of as well.”
However, amid the juxtaposition of Brind’Amour’s future, there is a feeling that the 50-year-old will remain with the Hurricanes.
“I think the betting is he’s going to stay in Carolina, but he’s made it very clear the future of the staff around him is as important as his own future,” Friedman added.
Carolina officially secured a playoff spot on Monday, the team’s third consecutive appearance since Brind’Amour was named coach prior to the 2018-19 season. Entering Saturday night, the former NHL centre has posted a regular-season record of 117-64-19 in 200 games behind the Hurricanes’ bench.
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