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Carolina Hurricanes: Top Landing Spots for Eric Staal

By Brett Finger

Nov 30, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal (12) works the puck during the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. New York Rangers won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal (12) works the puck during the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. New York Rangers won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 14, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal (12) cycles with the puck chased by Minnesota Wild defenseman Brodin (25) during the third period at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild win 6-3 over the Hurricanes. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal (12) cycles with the puck chased by Minnesota Wild defenseman Brodin (25) during the third period at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild win 6-3 over the Hurricanes. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports /

Minnesota Wild

After firing head coach Mike Yeo, the Minnesota Wild are back to playing great hockey, and they find themselves just two points behind the 8th place Colorado Avalanche who have played two more games.

Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes /

Carolina Hurricanes

The Wild are hot, and they are right in the middle of the playoff hunt in a very competitive Western Conference. That being said, their 17th ranked offense and powerplay needs help, and Eric Staal could provide that help.

Minnesota also has the assets that would lure Carolina in. They have been fleeced out of a majority of their 2016 draft picks, but they still have their 1st round pick. The organization also isn’t short on prospects with Alex Tuch, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jordan Greenway all being drafted over the past 2 years.

Things get squirrelly with the cap room. Minnesota will have just over $2.7 million available in cap space on deadline day, which means the two clubs would have to get pretty fancy with how they fit Staal’s cap under the ceiling.

If they were able to make it work, Staal would be a big add for the Wild. He would join a great mix of veterans and youth out in Minnesota with captain Zach Parise leading the way. Mikko Koivu also provides veteran experience and a great deal of skill at the center position. Staal’s ability to shift between center and winger would also be incredibly useful for the Wild as they make their playoff push.

Next: Carolina Hurricanes Top 10 Prospects

The NHL Trade deadline is slated for 3:00 pm (EST) on Monday, February 29.

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