Rod Brind'Amour never worried much about being able to reach a deal to remain coach of the Carolina Hurricanes.
鈥淚t was just a matter of time really,鈥� Brind'Amour said Thursday as the team announced a three-year contract extension.
The extension comes after Brind'Amour guided the Hurricanes to three straight playoff appearances, along with him being named one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award presented annually to the NHL's top coach.
The team announced the agreement a little more than a week after the by reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay in the second round.
The 50-year-old Brind鈥橝mour鈥檚 contract ran through this season, though the captain of Carolina鈥檚 2006 Cup winner and owner Tom Dundon had made public comments in recent months indicating they expected to reach an agreement 鈥� with Brind鈥橝mour saying in early May: 鈥淓verybody knows I鈥檓 a Hurricane.鈥�
Brind'Amour held a virtual news conference alongside president and general manager Don Waddell on Thursday morning.
鈥淒on and I talked throughout the year, occasionally,鈥� Brind'Amour said. 鈥淚 thought we were on the same page. ... He knew I wanted to be a part of this. I knew he wanted me to be a part of it, too. So we figured it out.鈥�
Now he鈥檒l remain with the franchise where he also played in the 2002 Stanley Cup finals and worked as an assistant coach before guiding a resurgence from a nine-season playoff drought.
鈥淚 would have a hard time thinking I could do the same job I'm doing here somewhere else because this is a part of me,鈥� Brind'Amour said. 鈥淭his place, I've been here forever. Again, it's more about the people that I get to come to work with everyday. That wouldn't be the case somewhere else. It just wouldn't be."
While an agreement was expected, Brind'Amour said it took time to make sure he has 鈥渢he right people around me" before reaching a deal. Brind'Amour pointed to support staff ranging assistant coaches to training staff and equipment people.
鈥淭hat's why I think part of it took so long is a lot of people, we had to figure out,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e're at that point where we've pretty much done that.鈥�
Waddell described the negotiation as 鈥渙n the easy side" because of the long-standing relationship.
鈥淲e talked early on that it was important to get the whole group done,鈥� Waddell said.
Brind鈥橝mour, who took over in 2018, took his first team to the playoffs and beat reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington on the way to the Eastern Conference finals. Then came a trip to the Toronto bubble last summer and a qualifier-series win in a second straight playoff appearance.
This year marked the first time the franchise had made three straight playoff trips since relocating to North Carolina in 1997 from Hartford, Connecticut. The Hurricanes won the Central Division title for the team鈥檚 first division crown since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, and remained in the hunt for the Presidents鈥� Trophy for best regular-season record to the final week of the schedule.
Carolina before falling in five games to the Lightning in Round 2. And much of Carolina's core is under contract, including star center Sebastian Aho and top defenseman Jaccob Slavin.
Brind鈥橝mour is 120-66-20 in the regular season over three seasons and 17-17 in the playoffs.
The league will announce the Jack Adams winner Thursday night.
