37 year old Eric Staal in negotiations with 3-4 teams as he plans a comeback
Always loved this guy, here's hoping he can end his career on his own terms
HockeyFeed
Veteran NHLer Eric Staal ain't done yet.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports that the 37 year old Staal is currently training in St. Paul, Minnesota while his agent Rick Curran attempts to find him a fit in the NHL. LeBrun reports that Curran "has been in regular dialogue with 3-4 teams" and that Staal, "is committed to trying to come back for another year."
More from LeBrun on his most recent Insider Trading segment on TSN:
"He is not ready to retire. He is committed to playing another NHL season, but he doesn’t have an NHL home," LeBrun said on Insider Trading. "Now, probably ideally [it] would be where his family has lived the last few years in Minnesota but the Wild have not shown interest in bringing him back and I don’t think that’s going to happen. A return to Canada where he finished the season with the Montreal Canadiens, probably not in the cards right now either. The preference for Eric Staal is to find a good fit in the U.S., that’s where his camp is working on now."
- Pierre LeBrun
The 36 year old veteran has lived with his family in the St. Paul area after playing four seasons with the Minnesota Wild from 2016-2020. He split last season between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens and had a strong showing during the Canadiens' Stanley Cup Final run. He put up just five goals and 13 points in 53 games split between the Sabres and Habs during the regular season, but managed two goals and eight points in 21 playoff games.
The veteran of 1,293 regular season games has put up a stellar 441 goals and 1,034 points in his 18 year long career with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Wild, Sabres and Habs. He, of course, was a big part of the 'Canes' 2006 Stanley Cup championship, having put up a career best 45 goals and 100 points that regular season and nine goals and 28 points in 25 playoff games. He, along with goaltender Cam Ward and Justin Williams comprised the 'Canes young core that supplemented veterans like Rod Brind'Amour, Cory Stillman and Ray Whitney during that historic Stanley Cup run for the team.
