Rod Brind'Amour Autographed Card

A lot of folks are high on the Carolina Hurricanes, with many experts predicting they may finish in the playoff picture; not me, I see them finishing in 7th place in the Metropolitan Division. The rest of the division is too strong, and head coach Bill Peters has never been able to reach the postseason so far. Or make a meaningful dent anywhere in his profession.

Yes, the defense is talented, but that didn't stop Eddie Lack and Cam Ward from looking like beer-league amateurs last year, and I'm not convinced the offense is ready to kick it into gear either. Also, in terms of leadership, I also don't see anyone on the team worthy of supporting likely captain Justin Williams before he retires (assuming he gets the title bestowed upon him this year, but with Peters and GM Ron Francis running things, even that's not a given).

Let's not forget this is the same organization that took the letter right from Rod Brind'Amour's chest to hand it to Eric Staal, whose departure led to this leadership void in the first place...

And Brind'Amour's been an assistant coach with the team since the 2011-12 season; chances are, like Doug Weight before him with the New York Islanders, the former captain may be ready to take the reins from Peters. It won't make the offense any more skilled nor will it erase Jeff Skinner's concussion history, but it could bring in a breath of fresh air to a franchise that has stagnated, nay fallen out of orbit, since its lone Stanley Cup championship in 2006.

That is, of course, unless the team moves to Québec City first, where they will require a French-speaking coach.

First things first, though, here is Brind'Amour wearing the Canes' former white uniform on card #84 from Upper Deck's 2007-08 Victory set:

He signed it in black sharpie after a game at the Bell Centre.