Carolina Hurricanes: Top Landing Spots for Eric Staal
By Brett Finger
Chicago Blackhawks
On the cusp of what is expected to be another long playoff run, the Chicago Blackhawks are looking for additions that would bolster their group going into April.
The word is that the team is looking for top-six forward talent. The Carolina Hurricanes have just that in Eric Staal.
Throwing Staal into the mix out in Chicago would give them a top-six of the NHL’s top scorer Patrick Kane, gold medal winning Jonathan Toews, rookie of the year favorite Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, Andrew Shaw, and then Eric Staal.
That is a top-six that can compete with any team on any given night, with potential offensive contribution from every single guy. Adding Staal makes Chicago more dangerous right away, but there are obstacles.
"“He’s a good player, boy. Six-foot-four centreman who makes plays, can play the wing. ,” Hurricanes head coach Peters said. “Teams need that, and this team needs that.” – Luke Fox, Sportsnet.ca"
The Hawks will have just south of $4.8 million available in cap space on trade deadline day, which means the Canes will need to take salary back and/or retain a good portion of Staal’s cap hit.
One of Carolina’s biggest trade assets is their cap space. They can take back a lot of cap and still be well-under the ceiling and, quite frankly, they’ll need to take money back to stay above the cap floor.
Bryan Bickell and Rob Scuderi both have another year left on their deals after this season, and they carry an unwarranted cap number. Bickell is owed $4 million this year and next year, and Scuderi is owed $2.25 million.
Bringing one of those aforementioned players back would help Chicago fit Staal in below the cap, and it would also let the Hurricanes stay in a good place above the cap floor. The question is, however, how willing would Carolina be not only to take on dead cap for the remainder of this year, but also the entirety of the next season.
One could debate that a guy like Bickell would benefit from a change of scenery in a bottom-six role in Carolina, but that is a roll of the dice.
The Chicago Blackhawks do benefit from having 1st round picks in hand, although they have a history of being unwilling to part with those assets.
Prospects Marko Dano and Nick Schmaltz also jump out as good young forward options that are close to NHL-quality talents at the ages of 21 and 20, respectively.
Like the New York proposal, there are hoops to jump through, but if it could be worked out, logistically, Chicago could be a great landing place for Eric Staal. It would certainly give him a great shot at winning another Stanley Cup.
It would also help Chicago keep up with the offensive powerhouses that are the Dallas Stars out West and the Washington Capitals in the East.
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