The 2016 NHL Trade Deadline is just days away, and the Carolina Hurricanes appear to have many options with their long-time captain and franchise cornerstone Eric Staal.
The day of reckoning is near. Eric Staal’s name continues to swirl in trade circles across the league, and many teams are rumored to have interest in the seven time 70+ point-getter.
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A trade involving Staal won’t be easy. The captain carries a cap hit of $8.25 million through the rest of the season, so teams that are low on funds might have to remove themselves from contention. This, of course, can be aided by the retention of salary from the Hurricanes. This would do little damage for the organization as it would only be in effect through the remainder of his contract, which ends this summer.
The club must also be careful with retaining salary due to the current CBA. The Canes are still paying for the salaries of both Jay Harrison and Tuomo Ruutu, which means they can only retain one more salary this season. This will likely come into consideration when dealing with moves involving the likes of Staal, John-Michael Liles, and Cam Ward in the coming days.
Staal also carries a no trade clause, which means he can pick and choose where he goes. He has indicated that he will likely do whatever is best for the team, as long as it also makes sense for his career.
Without further ado, here are the top landing spots for Eric Staal via a trade deadline move.
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