Eric Staal named captain

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The Carolina Hurricanes are turning to a new leader.

Eric Staal was named captain on Wednesday, taking over the role from veteran forward Rod Brind'Amour.

"The time has come now for Eric to assume the top leadership role for his teammates," GM Jim Rutherford said in a statement. "This is part of the rebuilding process for the Hurricanes, as Eric is the player around whom the team will be structured. We feel confident in Eric's ability to lead his teammates and are excited to begin this next era."

Staal becomes the team's fifth captain since its move to North Carolina and the 13th in franchise history. He's spent his entire career with the team after being drafted second overall in 2003 and is under contract through 2015-16.

Brind'Amour has been the team's captain since August 2005 and accepted the Stanley Cup when the team won the championship the following year. He'll remain an alternate captain.

"Rod has been the consummate leader for the Hurricanes since his acquisition nearly 10 years ago," said Rutherford. "He is the only captain in franchise history to lift the Stanley Cup, and he will continue to play a leadership role in our organization."

The 25-year-old Staal will be a member of Team Canada at next month's Olympics in Vancouver. There will now be nine team captains on the squad.

I really thought that it would happen at the end of the year after the Canes finish well out of the playoffs I guess they wanted to speed up the process a bit.