Eric Staal, Center – Hurricanes (2003-16), Rangers (2016), Wild (2016-20), Sabres (2020-21), Canadiens (2021-22), Panthers (2022-23)
Gone are the days that guys play for one team for most of their career, and Eric Staal is a prime example of that. After spending the first 13 years of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes, he has bounced around between five different clubs since then.
What is not gone, or forgotten for that matter, is how much of a pain in the rear-end Staal has been to the Bruins throughout his career. Usually the saying goes “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”, but Staal himself is not a team, so in this case the saying would have to go something along the lines of “if you can’t beat ’em, sign ’em.”
At age 38 (39 by season’s end), it’s unknown how much Staal has left in the tank, but coming off a Stanley Cup Finals run with the Florida Panthers, where they fell just short of a title, he’s bound to be itching for one more run at a second time lifting the cup.
If Staal is so much older, what would he really bring to the table?
In his last three seasons in the NHL, Staal has looked like a shell of himself, but part of that can be chalked to him not having the supporting cast he had in places like Minnesota or Carolina. What he brings to the table is experience being on a winning team, both internationally and domestically.
As a member of the Hurricanes in the 2005-06 season, he had the best season of his career playing in all 82 games, all while scoring 45 goals and tallying 55 assists (100 points) in the regular season. Carolina wound up winning its lone Stanley Cup Championship that season with Staal scoring nine goals and racking up 19 assists (28 points) in 25 playoff games.
In addition to the Stanley Cup Championship, Staal has also won multiple Gold and Silver Medals for Team Canada – including one Gold Medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He also won a Gold Medal at the World Championships in 2007, and World Junior Championships in 2001, while his lone Silver came in the 2008 World Championships.
2022-23 cap hit: $750,000.00