WAKE FOREST — Rod Brind'Amour helped conduct the Canes' rookie conditioning camp last year, saying it's nothing new for him this summer.

But there is something new this time: Brind'Amour now is a member of the Canes' coaching staff.

When general manager Jim Rutherford announced last month Brind'Amour would be an assistant coach on Paul Maurice's staff, the former Canes captain quickly noted his role was a "work in progress," saying he wasn't sure how many games he would be behind the bench next season. And Brind'Amour says that's still to be determined.

"We'll figure that out as we go," he said. "I really wanted to stay involved in all the other aspects, too. So it was nice being a little bit part of the (NHL) draft and learn about that and try to assess talent and talk about that, and I thought we did a great job with that."

The Carolina Hurricanes' coaching staff will have a new look next season, but with an old face in the mix.

As expected, former Canes captain Rod Brind'Amour will take on assistant coaching duties for the first time. Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford also announced today that veteran NHL coach Dave Lewis will be an assistant on Paul Maurice's staff and will oversee the defensemen.

Rutherford said Ron Francis will become director of hockey operations. Former assistant coach Tom Rowe will join the team's pro scouting staff.

"With his knowledge of the game, his leadership qualities and his ability to communicate, he will be a great addition," Rutherford said of Brind'Amour, who retired after the 2009-2010 season. "He showed his leadership ability as a player and captain. I watched this year with how he dealt with his duties and I was very impressed.

"I feel very strongly that Rod has a great future as a coach."

Former Hurricanes captain Rod Brind'Amour will be honored by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce after being selected by one of its programs as "Distinguished Leader of the Year."

From the Hurricanes:

The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce announced recently that former Hurricanes captain and current Director of Forwards Development Rod Brind’Amour had been selected by its Leadership Raleigh graduates as “Distinguished Leader of the Year.” Brind’Amour will be honored by the program following Leadership Raleigh’s 26^th annual graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 9.

Brind’Amour was selected for the award because of his “leadership on the ice, in the locker room, helping teammates with their development and his work to help solidify the franchise in our market,” according to a statement from Leadership Raleigh. Past winners of the Distinguished Leader of the Year award include Capitol Broadcasting President and CEO Jim Goodmon, WakeMed President and CEO William K. Atkinson and North Carolina Museum of Art Director Larry Wheeler.

Leadership Raleigh is a nine-month program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber in which participants get an in-depth view of community issues, develop leadership skills necessary to assume leadership roles, and are exposed to community involvement opportunities.

What happens with Jeff Daniels and Rod Brind'Amour in the immediate future remains up in the air -- there's going to be an assistant-coach reshuffle behind the Hurricanes' bench one way or another, with Ron Francis moving back to the front office full time -- but Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford has a lot to say about their coaching futures.

In his end-of-season media briefing Tuesday, Rutherford said he thought both Daniels and Brind'Amour would be head coaches in the NHL at some point.

Retired Carolina Hurricanes center Rod Brind’Amour went on a teleconference with media members Tuesday in advance of a banner bearing his name being raised in the RBC Center rafters before Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Hurricanes are retiring his No. 17 sweater.

Brind’Amour spent nine seasons with the Flyers (and also played three seasons with the St. Louis Blues).

“I’m grateful that the team would pick that night,” Brind’Amour said on the call, noting that the Hurricanes didn’t consult him about doing it that night.

The Hurricanes will retire Rod Brind'Amour's No. 17 on Feb. 18 when they host the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced Thursday.

Brind'Amour spent eight seasons with the Flyers, becoming a fan favorite, before joining the Hurricanes in January 2000. Brind'Amour captained the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006 before retiring last month.

With Rod Brind'Amour's retirement today, he takes his place in the Hurricanes' front office alongside the two other icons of the team's decade-plus here, Ron Francis and Glen Wesley.

At some point soon, his No. 17 will join Francis’ No. 10 and Wesley’s No. 2 in the RBC Center rafters, and justly so. That trio built the foundation of the franchise in North Carolina, each in his own separate way.

The Carolina Hurricanes have scheduled a news conference with veteran center Rod Brind'Amour at the RBC Center today at 2:30 p.m.

TSN is reporting that Brind'Amour will accept a buyout from the team, retire and continue to work for the team in some capacity.

Brind'Amour, 39, and a longtime team leader, has one year left in his playing contract. General manager Jim Rutherford had said that he hoped to have a resolution on Brind'Amour's future before the start of free agency Thursday. Options include buying out his contract for $2 million.

Rutherford won't be on hand. He's out of town on what the team has called unrelated business. But Rutherford will hold a teleconference with the media at 3:30 p.m.
 

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said he has not put center Rod Brind'Amour on waivers.

He said the team had until Wednesday to put a player on waivers, which would need to be done to buy out that player's contract. 

Brind'Amour, the team's captain until until the torch was passed to center Eric Staal midway through the past season, would earn $3 million this season.

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford met with the agent of forward Ray Whitney at the NHL draft on Saturday, but Whitney is expected to test the free agency market, Rutherford said Monday.

The team hopes Whitney, 38, who's played in 18 NHL seasons and was third on the team in points (58) last season, still ends up with the Canes.

The NHL's free agency period begins Thursday, and Whitney is an unrestricted free agent.

"We're keeping the door open and hoping that he'll come back to us," Rutherford said