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Eric Staal Still Looking to Sign With NHL Club 2021-22

Eric Staal is still staking, hoping to get picked up by an NHL team this season. Where is he willing to go?

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that veteran center Eric Staal is hoping to continue his career with an American team in the NHL this season. If he could get picked up by a club, it would be his 18th NHL campaign, but he wasn’t signed in the offseason and nothing appears imminent, so it’s not clear if Staal will make his way back this year or join another league to continue his hockey career.

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LeBrun notes that Staal continues to skate in Minnesota in hopes of a team looking at him as a depth option. The NHL insider adds that Staal’s agent is in regular contact with three or four clubs and writes, “He is not ready to retire.”

Eric Staal Minnesota Wild
Eric Staal Minnesota Wild

LeBrun said on Insider Trading:

“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.

Could Things Change?

It’s possible on both sides of the equation things could change as the season rolls along. Not only will clubs deal with injuries, but Staal may be more flexible when it comes to where he continues his career, should he get another chance to do so.

A veteran of 1,293 NHL games, Staal had an up and down season last year and there might not be a ton of options unless a team finds themselves in a real jam. If that’s what he’s waiting for, it is difficult to predict when the opportunity will present itself. Should a Canadian team come calling, Staal might want to consider his odds of landing employment with a club he might be holding out for.

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.

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