The 31-year-old forward replaces forward Justin Williams, who was Carolina's captain last season. Williams announced Sept. 2 that he will be taking some time away from the NHL.
Staal was co-captain of the Hurricanes in 2017-18. His brother, Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal, was Carolina's captain from 2009-10 to 2015-16.
He is entering his 14th NHL season and seventh with the Hurricanes. The No. 2 pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2006 NHL Draft has 510 points (217 goals, 293 assists) in 893 NHL games and 46 points (27 goals, 19 assists) in 88 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He won the Cup with the Penguins in 2009.
Forward Jordan Martinook and defenseman Jaccob Slavin were named alternate captains.
Six NHL teams remain without a captain: the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights.
