Eric Staal Key to Any Success For Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have been to the top of the National Hockey League world in the last decade after a Stanley Cup title, but are now trying to stay relevant in a very competitive league. If Carolina is going to get back to being a team that can compete for another Stanley Cup, they are going to need their captain Eric Staal to step up even more than he is already. It is up to Staal to show the way back to glory.

Staal had a hat trick earlier this season for his only three goals of the early season as the Hurricanes have won two straight heading into Monday night’s action. It would help if Staal’s brother Jordan would get going this season as well after being traded to Carolina from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the season started. If the Staals can work together and rack up some significant points and get more wins for the Hurricanes, Carolina could become a tough team to matchup with in the playoffs.

Staal also needs to keep the young phenom Jeff Skinner on the right track. Skinner came in with a lot of flair and performed like a 10-year veteran and has four goals already this year. Carolina is in one of those markets where the fans don’t always come out in great numbers, but they will come back if Skinner and the Staals show that it is a team to watch. This is definitely Staal’s team and at age 28, he would love to get another Stanley Cup under his belt sooner than later.

Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.