The Hurricanes and Rangers finalized the trade Sunday that sent the 31-year-old center to NY for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and the 2017 NHL Draft, and forward prospect Aleksi Saarela. They can also remind you that Al Montoya was the Rangers’ top pick, sixth overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft while Lundqvist was found with the No. 205 overall selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
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Staal leaves one younger brother, Jordan Staal, and will be united with another brother, Marc Staal, who plays defense for the Rangers.
The 31-year-old center has spent his entire 12-year career in Carolina and is the Hurricanes’ career leader in almost every category, including 909 games played, 332 goals and 775 points.
The original reports pointed towards the Carolina Hurricanes making a first round pick a sticking point.
Since Staal is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, the Hurricanes have wrestled with the idea of trading the captain for most of the season.
Eric Staal did not skate with the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday morning, but his absence had nothing to do with the constant trade rumors swirling around the veteran centre – at least officially. The Rangers’ window isn’t going to stay open forever, and they aren’t built to win years from now; they are built to win now which is why they had to make the deal for Staal.
Days like this can be a reminder that this is not a game played by robots. Staal also has 23 assists for 33 points this season. The Blue Jackets were outshot 13-1 in the first period and 24-11 after two but trailed just 2-1 heading into the third before Seth Jones and Brandon Saad scored. While it appears that NY and Carolina have consummated the deal, it’s not officially official until it goes through the League. The team needs to win now and everyone knows it. After watching Chicago and Florida make major moves to increase their cup chances, the Rangers have now made their move to become cup contenders. A fourth Staal brother, Jared, is playing with SC of the ECHL and had been in the Hurricanes’ organization.
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The Helsinki native won a gold medal alongside fellow Hurricanes prospect Sebastian Aho at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, totaling four goals and three assists (7 points) in seven games. Staal is one of the five-best players in team history and played a pivotal role in its lone Stanley Cup title in 2006. “It gives me more options and we’re definitely going to use those options moving forward”. Eric Staal isn’t the offensive threat he once was, but he is still one of the game’s top players. “We had a couple [new] jerseys and they had them on in the room”, Staal said. Staal, a former Stanley Cup victor, brings a track record of serving as a productive forward who can line up at center or on the wing and can add a boost to the Rangers’ 17.5-percent power play.
