The Hurricanes are keeping Rod Brind’Amour around for the foreseeable future.
The Canes bench boss signed a contract extension on Sunday, even after Carolina was knocked out of the postseason by the Rangers on Thursday night.
The Hurricanes announced the deal as a multi-year contract, but The Athletic reported it was for five years.
“Rod has been instrumental to the success we’ve had over the last six seasons,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “Ever since he joined the organization 24 years ago, Rod has embodied what it means to be a Hurricane. We hope to keep him a Hurricane for life.”
Brind’Amour was in the final year of his contract, which was set to expire on July 1.
Brind’Amour has helped turn the Hurricanes into a perennial playoff contender since he took over in 2018, completely turning around a franchise that had missed the postseason the nine years before his arrival.
The former NHLer had been a mainstay in Carolina as a player where he spent parts of 10 seasons of his playing career and helped the Hurricanes win a Stanley Cup in 2006.
There were some questions as to whether he would return for next season, but the players didn’t express any concern that their coach wouldn’t be back.
“He’s one of the main pieces that turned this organization around from where it was when I first got here,” defenseman Jaccob Slavin told The Associated Press. “So I think anyone would want him to stay as well. I know he wants to be here. I’m confident it’ll get done.”
Brind’Amour helped lead the Canes to a 278-130-44 record during the regular season since he was hired and has led the team to the playoffs in all six of his seasons as head coach.
And they’ve won at least one playoff round in five of the six seasons he’s been there.