To no ones surprise, Eric Staal signed a one day contract with Carolina so that he could retire after 18 NHL seasons. The 39-year-old Thunder Bay native dawned the jersey of six different teams (CAR, MIN, NYR, BUF, MTL, FLA) and had 455 goals, 1063 points and 854 PIMs in 1365 career games played.
Staal has 11 goals, nine assists, 78 SOG, and a -8 plus/minus through 50 games this season but will be a game-time decision Friday as he deals with an undisclosed injury. The 38-year-old has been enjoying a resurgent season after taking all of 2021-22 off.
Staal was placed on the injured reserve a week ago due to an upper-body injury and hasn't played since January 19th when he left after just 4:16 TOI but is expected to return Friday vs. Los Angeles. The 38-year-old has seven goals, seven assists, 61 SOG, and 16 PIMs through 40 games in a bottom-six role.
Staal left Thursday's game in Montreal with an upper-body injury following a dangerous hit from Mike Matheson. With Staal unavailable for at least one week, look for Chris Tierney to replace him on the Panthers' fourth line on Saturday.
Eric Staal will make his Florida Panthers debut Thursday as they take on the Flyers. Staal's last NHL game was during the 2021 Stanley Cup Final when he played with the Montreal Canadiens. He will join his brother Marc in Florida and brings 1034 points (441G/593A) across 1293 career NHL games played to the lineup when he returns for his 18th NHL season Thursday.
Staal missed Game 3 but will be a game-time decision for Game 4 vs. the Maple Leafs. Staal will most likely replace Artturi Lehkonen (upper-body), who is also a game-time decision after getting hurt in Game 3.
Staal is not 100 percent, so he'll come out of the lineup for Game 3 vs. the Maple Leafs. Staal was on the ice for the morning skate, so his injury is not believed to be serious. Cole Caufield will draw in to replace Staal.
Staal took an elbow to the jaw from Nic Dowd on Thursday and did not return to the game. Head coach Ralph Krueger did not have an update on Staal postgame but called him day-to-day and they'll see "how he is in the morning." It seems unlikely that Staal will suit up for the second game of the season which would likely mean more minutes for Cody Eakin or rookie Dylan Cozens.
Staal will be 36 in October and is entering the final year of a two-year contract that carries a $3.25M AAV cap-hit. The move actually saves the Sabres $1.25M in cap space and they are getting the better player. Staal may be nearing the end of his career but he will be a great No.2 centre behind Jack Eichel and reunites with Jeff Skinner. They didn't play together a ton in Carolina but there should be familiarity there five years later.
Staal did not travel to San Jose because of a death in his family, so look for Gerald Mayhew or Victor Rask to draw back into the lineup on Thursday.
Staal suffered what looked like a long-term injury on Tuesday, so it was a great sign to see him on the ice for the morning skate. Staal will be a game-time decision vs. the Oilers but Gerald Mayhew has been recalled from Iowa (AHL) in case Staal can't play.
Staal was forced to leave Tuesday's game after colliding head/shoulder first with a linesman in the neutral zone. Staal was down for a while and had to be helped off of the ice by the Wild medical staff. It looks like Staal is going to miss some time, leaving them without their first and second-line centres moving forward.
Staal’s name floated around at the trade deadline as a potential rental, but ultimately signs a two-year extension to remain in Minnesota. Staal enjoyed a resurgent year in 2018 but has seen his production dip this year—he is on-pace for 18 fewer goals and four fewer assists. Staal will turn 35 at the start of next season, so his career will likely end in Minnesota.
Staal missed Tuesday’s game with an illness, but said he expects to play in Los Angeles. Head coach Bruce Boudreau called Staal a game-time decision, but it sounds like he’ll be back in. Staal has 11 points (5G /6A) in 13 games this season.
Staal was a late scratch from Tuesday’s game in San Jose and may not play Thursday either. Staal traveled to Los Angeles, but is questionable to play vs. the Kings. Matt Read was recalled from Iowa (AHL) to play if Staal can’t.
