Hurricanes' Jordan Staal: Closes regular season on strong note

Staal closed the season with a pair of assists in his last two contests, bringing his regular-season tally to 45 points in 75 games.

Analysis:

Staal was once again the Hurricanes' top center for most of the season, skating mostly with newcomers Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. Now halfway through a 10-year deal that will keep him with the Hurricanes until the 2021-22 season, Staal figures to remain a top-six forward for the Hurricanes for the foreseeable future. From a fantasy perspective, he now has two consecutive seasons in the mid- to upper 40-point range; however, if the team around him continues to improve with guys like Aho and Teravainen, you could see Staal wind up cracking the 50-point plateau as soon as next season.