Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal's tenure in Raleigh may soon be over, but at this point it seems just as likely that it will continue on even though the Canes don't really want it to. According to a Wednesday report from Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, the Hurricanes, led by GM Ron Francis, have been "actively shopping" Staal for much of the season, but few suitors have emerged for the longtime Hurricane because of his $8.25 million cap hit.
"Simply put, most contenders either don't have the need for the veteran, or don't have the cap space yet to get under the ceiling," writes Kennedy. "So if Staal is moved, it's likely going to be right on deadline day, where his salary impact would be minimized."
Staal, 31, is in the final year of a seven-year, $57.5 million deal that kicked in for the 2009-10 season. He remains an effective and highly skilled player, but his cap hit no longer reflects his production on the ice - he's got just 9 goals this season. Sure, if a contender finds a way to create enough room to land Staal they'd benefit as much from his calming presence and locker room personality as from his on-ice exploits, but you don't give up assets and pay a player several million dollars just to shore up a leaky locker room.
Interestingly, the Hurricanes have somehow transformed themselves into a much stronger team than anyone, likely even Francis and Canes head coach Bill Peters, would have expected. Still, they're on the outside looking in at a playoff spot and even if they were to steal one of the wild card positions and sneak into the postseason, its' unlikely that they'd advance very far.
Dealing Staal now instead of letting him walk in the summer makes the most sense, but getting it done won't be an easy task. Few teams have the cap space to take on his contract and it seriously hinders Staal's value that his cap hit is so large. Yes, the Hurricanes could eat some of the money, but even then, as ESPN's Pierre LeBrun noted last week, rental players simply aren't as valuable in the NHL of today.
Last year, a player like Staal may have landed a first-round pick and more - today, that's likely not close to what Francis could get.
It's a tough NHL trade market and the Hurricanes are certainly feeling that at this point, meaning Staal's future may not be decided until the wee hours ahead of this month's deadline.
