Rod Brind’Amour stays with Hurricanes after playoff failure

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 eliminated from the playoffs by the Rangers on Thursday night.

The Hurricanes announced the deal as a multi-year deal, but The Athletic reported it was a five-year deal.

“Rod has been instrumental in the success we have enjoyed over the past six seasons,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “Since joining the organization 24 years ago, Rod has embodied what it means to be a Hurricane. We hope it remains a hurricane for life.

Brind’Amour was in the final year of his contract, which was due 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 missed the playoffs nine years before his arrival.

The former NHLer was a mainstay for Carolina as a player where he spent parts of 10 seasons of his playing career and helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006.

Some wondered if he would return next season, but the players expressed no concerns about their coach’s return.

“He’s one of the main things that transformed this organization from what it was when I got here,” defenseman Jaccob Slavin told the Associated Press. “So I think anyone would want him to stay too. I know he wants to be here. I am convinced that this will happen.

Brind’Amour has helped the Canes go 278-130-44 during the regular season since his hiring and led the team to the playoffs during his six seasons as head coach.

And they won at least one playoff round in five of the six seasons he was there.