The adventure is not over for Eric Staal. Indeed, according to information obtained by Pierre LeBrun of TSN, he and his brother Marc, who will become unrestricted free agents on July 28, would both want to be back next season. The two brothers would not be against the idea of continuing with their current team, the Canadiens for Eric and the Red Wings for Marc Staal.
Eric, for starters, was in his 17th National Hockey League campaign last season. After a very slow start with the Buffalo Sabres, he was acquired by the Habs in late March. Staal played an important role in Montreal's surprising playoff run, recording eight points (two goals) in 21 games.
The 36-year-old former Carolina Hurricanes captain has 1,034 points, including 441 goals, in 1,293 career NHL games. Although he failed to reach the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens, the Ontario native veteran had already managed to reach the ultimate goal with the Hurricanes in 2006.
His brother Marc, on the other hand, just played his 14th season in the Bettman circuit, but it was his first with the Red Wings. Despite his age (34), he managed to play in all 56 regular season games for the Wings, collecting three goals and ten points along the way. His contract that is now expired paid him an impressive salary of $5,700,000 per year since the 2015-16 season.