Eric Tulsky made a very important free agent signing today as the Carolina Hurricanes signed Eric Staal to a one-day contract so that he may retire with the club he played for 12 seasons and captained. The date for the ceremony has not been determined but Eric will join Rod Brind'Amour, Gen Wesley, and Ron Francis.
Of his 1,365 NHL games played, Staal played 909 of them with Carolina. A total of 18 years in the NHL with his last being in the 2022-23 season with the Florida Panthers. Over the 18 years, he played with the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens.
Drafted second overall by the Canes in the 2003 NHL draft, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native won a Stanley Cup with the Canes in 2006. He was able to pass the torch to his brother, Jordan, playing together with Carolina.
In the 2005-06 season, Staal put up 100 points with 45 of them being goals. This was the first of three 40-plus goal seasons. The playoff run to the Stanley Cup was especially successful for Staal as he posted 28 points in 25 playoff games. He had 104 career playoff games with 64 points registered.
Before ending his career, he was able to play with his other brother, Marc, in Florida and had one more run at the Stanley Cup.
The whole Staal family will be out for this great night but it will be even more special to have Jordan there as the current captain of the Hurricanes.