The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to trade forward Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a third- and a fifth-round draft pick in the upcoming 2021 NHL Draft. Buffalo is retaining 50 percent of Staal’s cap hit.
The Canadiens have acquired centre Eric Staal from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for 3rd and 5th round picks in the 2021 NHL Draft.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/6899ER5enC
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 26, 2021
Buffalo Sabres Trade Eric Staal to Montreal
The Buffalo Sabres have completed a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs acquire centre Eric Staal, while the Sabres acquire two draft picks in 2021.
Eric Staal
In Staal, the Canadiens gets a seasoned veteran who knows what it takes to win. This season, Staal seems to be having a career-low. Yet, he finds himself in a challenging situation playing in Buffalo. He has scored three goals and seven assists for ten points, adding four minutes in penalties. His possession numbers are 49.5 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 0.9. Those totals are much lower than last season, where he scored 19 goals, 28 assists for 47 points.
Over his epic 17-year NHL career Eric Staal has played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers. In that time, he has 439 goals and 592 assists for 1031 career points in 1267 career games. He was originally drafted in the first round, second overall of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by Carolina. Where in only his second NHL season ever, he would lead the team to a Stanley Cup after recording a 100 point regular season.
What This Means for the Future
The Buffalo Sabres were trying to create some magic in the off-season. After bringing in big names like Staal and Taylor Hall, the team looked to take advantage of a shortened season. Unfortunately, that did not work out too well for them. Now that Staal has found himself a new home for the time being, he will bring a real boost to any locker room he enters. Over 1000 NHL games played, over 1000 points scored, a Stanley Cup, and a natural-born leader through and through. Eric Staal joins the Montreal organization ready to bring depth, experience, and hopefully a championship.
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