About Last Season: Jordan Staal Performance Review and Grade

Jordan Staal: 2018-19 By The Numbers

• Age: 30
• NHL Seasons: 13
• Scoring: 11 goals, 17 assists, 28 points
• Ice Time: 14:38 ES, 1:49 PP, 1:49 PK
• 5 on 5 Stats: 56.94% CF, 52.0% GF
• Contract Status: Four years remaining, $6 million AAV

Jordan Staal has carved out a reputation in the NHL as a forward that no one talks about enough. That’s fine with us. Staal is quietly the best defensive forward on the team year after year, and he does it for nearly 20 minutes per night. He consistently elevates the play of his wingers, and is a possession machine at 59.64% Corsi For Percentage — highest on the team during the regular season.

Staal was relied on less heavily this season, logging 18:17 of time on ice per game played during this year. That’s almost a minute less than last year, which is likely a direct result of Sebastian Aho’s ascension to the 1C spot.

Staal missed a stretch of 32 out of 34 games between December and late February after a concussion. There was a growing feeling around the team that he wouldn’t come back at all this season, but ultimately made his return to a streaking Hurricanes squad on February 23rd. He had six points in his first four games back.

Although it doesn’t always show, Staal is a talented offensive forward. He picked up 28 points in 50 games played, but none were more important than this goal in Game 7 of the first round against Washington.

In his seventh season with the team, Staal has become a model of consistency. There was a stretch of time during the Ron Francis-led rebuild during which he was the best forward in the lineup and the de facto top line center.

The fact that he’s no longer assuming that position indicates that this forward corps is a lot healthier than it once was. Staal’s strong two-way game remains one of the team’s most valuable assets, and he will continue to be relied on going forward as a shutdown center and a veteran team leader.

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