Eric Staal Trade Rumors: Montreal Canadiens

Eric Staal Trade Rumors: Montreal Considered Top Suitor

Latest Eric Staal trade rumors suggest Montreal has shown interest in acquiring the long-time Canes forward. Staal is set to become a free agent next summer, and carries an $8.25 million dollar cap hit. The longer Montreal waits to acquire Staal, the easier it will be to workout a trade due to salary.

via Digital Journal,Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report has suggested the Canadiens could acquire center Eric Staal of Carolina. The deal would have the 31-year-old heading north, with goalie Zachary Fucale and forward Lars Eller headed to the Hurricanes, but there’s one road block to this potential move — the veteran would need to waive his no-trade clause. That said, leaving the worst team in the East could make that an easy decision.

Eric Staal is a first line center in Carolina, and does have the ability to play the wing, but is best suited up the middle. The 30-year-old is 6’4 205lbs, and would bring some much-needed playoff experience and size to an otherwise “small” team. Montreal has added a few bigger bodies over the past few years, but still lack that big, tough grit needed to sustain four grueling rounds of playoffs.

Eric Staal Trade Rumors: Carolina’s Asking Price?

Oct 13, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal (12) reacts against the Florida Panthers at PNC Arena. The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Like Colorado, it’s a team with a core group of players that simply haven’t played well enough over the past few years. Carolina has been riding its 2006 Stanley Cup win for the past nine years, and Eric Staal has failed to come close to matching his 100-point total from that season. Just as Cam Ward has failed to stay healthy long enough to match his Conn Smythe Performance from his rookie year.

GM Ron Francis has some solid young pieces in place for future success (Noah Hanifin, Justin Faulk, Elias Lindholm, etc.). Their point of strength is on the blue-line with several quality prospects on the way (Haydn Fleury, Roland McKeown, Rasmus Rissanen, etc.). The Hurricanes lack true offensive depth in the system, and on their big club roster. It’s arguably one of the worst offensive groups in the NHL.

Carolina isn’t about to take on any bad long-term contracts, and they’re not going to be interested in older veterans (unless it’s a short-term contract that helps get a deal done). This is a team looking to get younger, and would likely be targeting young NHL’ers, near NHL ready prospects, prospects in general, or draft picks. This makes for a good trade recipe, as Montreal isn’t likely interested in losing quality roster players. Only one problem; Some salary will need to be unloaded by Montreal to make this work. The Canadiens feature the most expensive blue-line in the NHL, so it’s conceivable that a trade could hinge on whether or not Alexei Emelin would be willing to waive his no-trade. Emelin carries a limited no-trade clause, so it’s unclear which teams are on his “no-trade list”. It would make sense that Emelin is moved to make room for Jarred Tinordi.

Potential Trade Scenarios

Cap Space as of December 6th 2015
Montreal Cap Space: $1,015,334
Carolina Cap Space: $7,338,336

Carolina Trades Eric Staal to Montreal for Alexei Emelin, David Desharnais, and Charles Hudon

Any combination of Emelin plus Desharnais/or Eller, would immediately address cap issues. It would also open up a spot for Tinordi as stated above, while only subtracting one body up-front, replacing them with an upgrade in Eric Staal. The above is merely an example, as it’s conceivable Carolina could ask for an additional prospect or draft pick.

Carolina Trades Eric Staal to Montreal for Tom Gilbert, Lars Eller, Jacob de la Rose, and good prospect/or 1st round draft pick

Let’s be honest, Carolina wouldn’t actually be interested in 2016 free-agent Tom Gilbert, but he’d be off the books next summer, and has a decent cap hit that could help finalize a deal. It’s unclear whether Ron Francis would even have interest in Lars Eller, but in this scenario, it’s the prospects or draft picks that make this deal.

The reason we don’t see as many trades nowadays is because of the cap era, finding deals that work within teams constrained budgets is extremely difficult. It’s especially difficult when you’re dealing with Eric Staal’s $8.25 million dollar cap hit.

Next: Winnipeg Jets Trade Rumors: Byfuglien/Pavelec

What do you think NHL fans, are these simply rumors that carry no traction, or is there a potential deal to be worked out? Would Eric Staal be the piece that turns Montreal from the NHL’s best team to a perennial Cup contender? Where would Eric Staal fit into Montreal’s depth chart? The above trade scenarios are merely examples, but is there another trade scenario that makes more sense for both clubs? Would Zachary Fucale be a top-target in any trade for Carolina? One thing is for sure, the Eric Staal trade rumors are just starting to heat up, and just in time for the holiday season. Canadiens faithful would love nothing more than to receive an early Christmas present.

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