RALEIGH, N.C. | Eric Staal will be no longer be the face of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise after the team tradef its captain to the New York Rangers on Sunday.
In exchange for Staal, the Hurricanes acquired center Aleksi Saarela, who is currently playing in his native Finland, and New York’s second-round selections in each of the next two drafts.
Staal had spent his entire 12-year career with the Hurricanes and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, once the final year of his seven-year, $55.75 million contract expires.
The trade was reached about an hour before the Hurricanes played host to the St. Louis Blues and a day before the NHL trade deadline.
“Eric has been the face of this franchise for a long time, and we thank him for his dedication, leadership and many contributions,” Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis said. “We felt this was an important opportunity for us to continue our work in building an organization that can consistently compete in the Stanley Cup playoffs.”
Staal has scored 30-plus goals five times in his career. He has 10 goals and 23 assists in 63 games this season. Overall, he is the Hurricanes career leader in nearly every category, including 909 games played, 332 goals and 775 points.
Staal leaves behind playing in Carolina with one brother, Jordan Staal, and will be united with another brother, Marc, who plays defense for the Rangers.
Saarela was the Rangers’ third-round pick in last year’s draft. He currently plays for Assat Pori of the Finnish elite league. The 19-year-old leads the team with 18 goals and is second with 31 points in 46 games.