In 2016, the Carolina Hurricanes traded captain Eric Staal to the New York Rangers in a trade that would shake the landscape of the Hurricanes’ future. For a lot of fans, the idea of trading Staal was unthinkable just a few years prior. Staal was the heart of the 2006 Stanley Cup-winning roster. To this day, he remains the longest-serving captain of the team since relocation in 1997. Statistically the best Hurricane ever without any real competition, Staal remains a Hurricanes legend. In 909 games for the Canes, Staal recorded 322 goals and 453 assists for 775 points across 12 seasons. As the lead scorer on the 2005-06 Cup-winning team, Staal is a Hurricanes legend.
However, all good things must come to an end. Staal was dealt to the New York Rangers in exchange for prospect Aleksi Saarela, a second-round pick in 2016, and a second-round pick in 2017.
What Happened to Staal After Leaving Carolina?
In New York, Staal struggled. Recording only three goals and three assists in 20 regular season games, he never hit the heights he did in Raleigh. In the playoffs, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native failed to find the scoresheet. Going pointless in five postseason games was not good. Eric did get to play with the only brother he never got to in New York, but that was it. When that was the highlight of his tenure in New York, he was a pretty unsuccessful deadline acquisition. At the end of the season, Carolina’s iconic center would leave the Big Apple in free agency. Staal would land in Minnesota.
After finding some success in the North Star State, the Wild would trade him to Buffalo before the 2020-21 season. Staal ended up with just three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 32 games. Buffalo would trade him to Montreal before the deadline where Staal was far from his best. Having to isolate for two weeks before you could cross the border really hampered everyone that was traded internationally. When he did get to his new team, Staal’s experience would help guide the Canadiens to the Cup Finals. After that, Staal went unsigned in the 2021-22 season, opting to captain Team Canada at the Olympics instead. Currently, the 2003 second overall pick is on a professional tryout with the Florida Panthers.
What Did Carolina Get In Return for Staal?
As for Carolina, let’s start with the dead end here. With the 2017 second-round pick, the Hurricanes selected right-handed defenseman, Luke Martin. Martin never signed with the Hurricanes and is currently an unrestricted free agent. Martin is currently playing in the ECHL and AHL for various different teams and organizations. He had some upside when he was drafted but it never really materialized. Martin will be lining up with the Hartford Wolf Pack this upcoming season. Ironically, they are the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers because of course they are.
Saarela was a weird one. Touted as one of the better prospects in the system during his time with the organization, he became disgruntled about not breaking through. He was very good for the Charlotte Checkers, the Hurricanes AHL affiliate at the time. Eventually, the Hurricanes would let him seek NHL time elsewhere and traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks. Saarela was packaged with defenseman Calvin De Haan in exchange for Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling. Forsberg would play some games for Carolina after injuries to both goalies forced them to win a game with a Zamboni driver. Although we never saw the caliber of goalie he has become in Ottawa. Forsling was just claimed on waivers by Florida after their defense was brutally injured. He worked out and they’ve been happy ever since down in the Sunshine State.
Why Did You Skip the 2016 Second Round Pick?
I’m glad you asked. Carolina would never use this pick. It would be packaged to Chicago with Chicago’s own third-round pick for two players. A cap dump and a young player that the Blackhawks thought would never develop. It was an incentive for the Canes to take on some extra money for the duration of the 2016-17 season. I’ll start with the cap dump.
It’s really harsh calling Bryan Bickell a cap dump, but that is what he was. Making way too much money, Bickell was not producing at the rate they wanted him to. With Chicago’s big two signing major deals long-term, it became difficult for them to justify keeping players around with that middle-of-the-pack cap hit for a fourth-line role. A three-time Cup winner, Bickell would need time to make his Canes debut. Bickell was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and would only make 11 appearances for the Canes, retiring at the end of the year. However, he left with a gift. His final contribution to the NHL was a shootout goal that pinged beautifully off the pipe and in. Canes fans will recall color analyst Tripp Tracy talking about how the Canes wanted to empty the bench that night in Philadelphia.
Who’s the Unproven Young Guy They Got From Chicago?
Jeez, okay I’ll cut to the chase then. A young European that had shown a lot of promise, but the Blackhawks were concerned that he would never become a true top-six player. Carolina’s incentive was Helsinki, Finland native, Teuvo Teravainen. For the Hurricanes alone, Teravainen has amassed 101 goals and 224 assists for 325 points in 411 games. That’s a lot of production. Teravainen’s 224 assists put him 7th all-time. One behind Eric’s brother Jordan Staal. This isn’t since relocation in 1997 either. This is since the WHA-NHL merger in 1979. That’s incredible. Yes, you can point out Staal is second in almost everything, but getting a player like Teuvo Teravainen directly because of a trade like this is really rare. If Teuvo Teravainen keeps playing at the level he is right now, he’ll be there soon enough.
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