Is Jeff Skinner the Carolina Hurricanes' next captain?
Head coach Bill Peters is looking to fill that vacancy, one left open since the departure of Eric Staal in early 2015. As such, he's spoken extensively to team staff in the offseason, and a common theme emerged.
"(Skinner's) name came up in the conversation quite a bit, and they bring up that type of stuff, the way he looks after himself and the way he prepares," Peters said, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "He's passionate about it and he's hungry to win."
"He's a passionate guy and he's a passionate player," he added. "He's a real good pro in the fact that he looks after himself, he trains properly, and the guys have unreal respect for the way he looks after his body. The maturity he shows. I know guys bring it up quite a bit."
Skinner is entering his eighth season with the club, and only Cam Ward has been around longer. The 2011 Calder Trophy winner has rebounded from a series of concussions suffered early in his career, developing into one of the most important players in Carolina, both on and off the ice.
If the "C" were to be given to him, he'd gladly accept it.
"You want to be counted on by your teammates, by your coaches," Skinner said, according to Rosen. "That's obviously what a captain is supposed to do. They're supposed to lead and be the guy that people can count on.
"I want to be counted on."
A formal announcement is expected to be made following training camp, and while there are other candidates, including Jordan Staal, Skinner seems to be the likely choice.
