Eric Staal was traded to the Montreal Canadiens by the Buffalo Sabres on Friday for a third-round and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Eric Staal #12 of the Buffalo Sabres
Staal is in the final season of a two-year, $6.5 million contract ($3.25 million average annual value) he signed with the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 25, 2019 and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Sabres will retain $1.625 million of the forward’s salary.
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The 36-year-old has scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 32 games this season. He was acquired by Buffalo in a trade with Minnesota on Sept. 16.
“It hasn’t been good enough. I haven’t been good enough,” Staal said March 18. “Clearly, in my mind, I had envisioned things differently coming here and it just hasn’t come to fruition and it hasn’t lived up to those thoughts. I think that’s for sure been challenging, that’s been difficult, but that’s still no excuse. It doesn’t matter. I have more pride in myself, what I can do in this league, what I can do on the ice, and at the end of the day it hasn’t been good enough for me personally, and obviously, clearly it hasn’t been good enough for our team either.”
Selected by the Carolina Hurricanes with the No. 2 pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, Staal has scored 1,031 points (439 goals, 592 assists) in 1,272 regular-season games with the Sabres, Wild, New York Rangers and Hurricanes, and 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in 62 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He won the Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.
“Everybody knows what’s going on with the situation that we’re in and we know that there’s going to be changes coming,” forward Kyle Okposo said Friday. “Still doesn’t make it any easier. Found out about ‘Staalsy’ right before practice and just got off the ice to go wish him well. He’s a character guy. He’s a really good person, he’s a good man. He’s had a heck of a career to date and he’s going to continue to play well. So I wish him nothing but the best.”
The Sabres (6-22-4) are scheduled to visit the Boston Bruins on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; SN1, NESN, MSG-B, NHL.TV).
“The professionalism Eric displayed during his time with the Sabres was felt by everybody in our organization from top to bottom,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “I know his leadership and demeanor were valued by our players, coaches and staff, and Eric’s impact on our young players is obvious.”
Buffalo is 0-14-2 since Feb. 25, the longest stretch without a win since the NHL implemented the shootout, eliminating ties. The 2009-10 Carolina Hurricanes, 2010-11 New York Islanders and 2014-15 Sabres each lost 14 consecutive games. The Winnipeg Jets hold the NHL record for most consecutive games without a win; they played 30 straight without a victory (0-23 with seven ties) from Oct. 19-Dec. 20, 1980.
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