Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed on Thursday that he is optimistic about reaching a new contract with the team. This sentiment echoes the positive outlook shared by president and general manager Don Waddell a day earlier.
Brind’Amour, who is widely regarded as the face of the franchise due to his extensive history with the team, including leading the 2006 Stanley Cup-winning squad, is currently in the final year of his contract, which was established in 2021.
His contract negotiations have garnered attention across the league, particularly with several coaching positions available, as Carolina prepares for the second round of the NHL playoffs against the New York Rangers.
“I had a productive conversation with Don yesterday, and again this morning,” Brind’Amour stated. “I’m confident that we’ll agree swiftly. I’m not worried.” This statement follows Waddell’s remarks the previous day, where he expressed a strong belief that an agreement would be reached.
“We’re in regular discussions about it,” Waddell mentioned during a Zoom call with reporters after the team’s victory in the first-round series against the New York Islanders. “I have great confidence, as I’ve mentioned previously, that we’ll finalize this deal. Rod is committed to being part of the Hurricanes for the long haul.”
In an interview earlier this week with The News and Observer of Raleigh, team owner Tom Dundon said he believed the two sides were “just working through the final details.”
Brind’Amour, aged 53, came to Raleigh in a trade from Philadelphia in January 2000 and played here until retiring in 2010. He then spent seven seasons as an assistant coach before becoming head coach for the first time in 2018.
At that time, he declared, “I am deeply committed to the Hurricanes,” and then focused on making Carolina a consistent winner. Brind’Amour has successfully led the Hurricanes to the playoffs six times in a row after the team went without a postseason appearance for nine years.
Over the past five seasons, Carolina has reached the Eastern Conference Final twice and has been ranked second in the NHL in points and points percentage in the last four regular seasons, behind only Boston.
With Tuesday’s Game 5 victory over the Islanders, Carolina became the first team to win at least one series in six consecutive postseasons since Detroit accomplished it from 1995-2000. According to Bet MGM Sportsbook, Carolina was considered the favorite to win the Stanley Cup entering the playoffs.
Carolina center Sebastian Aho brushed off any suggestion on Thursday that Brind’Amour’s contract status was causing distraction.
