Hurricanes activate Jordan Staal from IR, will return vs. Kraken

The Carolina Hurricanes will soon get their captain back.

The team announced Saturday that forward Jordan Staal has been activated off injured reserve and he will be available to play against the Seattle Kraken Saturday in Finland.

Staal, 38, has been out of the lineup since he suffered a tear in his calf during the pregame warmups ahead of Carolina’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 10.

The six-foot-four center was pointless through his first six games this season but is coming up a 2025-26 campaign that saw him score 20 goals and add 16 assists for 36 points in 75 games.

Staal led the Hurricanes to their second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history as he scored eight goals and added four assists for 12 points. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

He signed a one-year contract extension in the offseason that will keep him with the team through the 2027-28 season. He has served as Carolina’s fulltime captain since 2019-20 after two seasons as co-captain with Justin Faulk.

Staal, taken No. 2 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, has 318 goals and 429 assists for 747 points in 1,409 career regular-season games with the Hurricanes and Penguins.

He also has 46 goals and 39 assists for 85 points in 181 career playoff games. Along with his championship in 2026, Staal helped Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup in 2009 and was part of their run to the Final in 2008.