Eric Staal linked to 3-4 teams for NHL return

Free agent Eric Staal has not given up on returning to the NHL and it sounds like he could be close to making his wish come true. According to insider Pierre LeBrun, Staal gets working out and skating daily in Minnesota, while his agent, Rick Curran, “has been in regular dialogue with 3-4 teams.”

LeBrun believes those teams could decide later this month whether adding the veteran centre is right move for them.

When Staal became a free agent after reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the Montreal Canadiens last season on a one-year deal, he made it clear that he was hoping to pursue his career with an American team. This is how LeBrun had explained it on Insider Trading on TSN:

“He is not ready to retire. He is committed to playing another NHL season, but he doesn’t have an NHL home. 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.

“He is committed to trying to come back for another year.”

Staal still has a lot in tank, he who was moved from the Buffalo Sabres to the Canadiens ahead of the trade deadline last season. He ended up with five goals and 13 points in 53 games between the two teams. He had two goals and eight points in 21 games during the Habs’ impressive playoff run.

In a total of 1,293 NHL games, Staal has 441 goals and 1,034 points over the course of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Wild, Sabres and Canadiens. He also had 28 points in 26 games during the 2006 playoffs, helping the Hurricanes to their only Stanley Cup victory in franchise history.

He could be a great addition to any team, which 3-4 interested in making that happen, per LeBrun.