The Carolina Hurricanes have reached a three-year contract extension with coach Rod Brind’Amour after three straight playoff appearances.

The Hurricanes announced the agreement Thursday, a little more than a week after the Hurricanes were eliminated by reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay in the second round. It also followed Brind’Amour being named one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award presented annually to the NHL’s top coach.

The 50-year-old Brind’Amour’s contract ran through this season, though the captain of Carolina’s 2006 Cup winner and owner Tom Dundon had made public comments in recent months indicating they expected to reach an agreement – with Brind’Amour saying in early May: “Everybody knows I’m a Hurricane.”

Now he’ll 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 a nine-season playoff drought.

“Rod has been the driving force behind the culture change we’ve undergone here,” general manager Don Waddell said. “He keeps our players motivated, demands accountability, and has our team ready to compete every night. He has truly raised the bar for our organization, and we’re thrilled to have him continue as our coach for years to come.”

Brind’Amour, 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’s first division crown since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, and remained in the hunt for the Presidents’ Trophy for best regular-season record to the final week of the schedule.

Carolina beat Nashville in a six-game first round series before falling in five games to the Lightning in Round 2.

Brind’Amour 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.