{"id":125163,"date":"2022-02-07T13:45:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T18:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=125163"},"modified":"2022-02-07T13:45:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T18:45:28","slug":"can-eric-staal-nhl-the-olympics-to-earn-an-nhl-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/02\/07\/can-eric-staal-nhl-the-olympics-to-earn-an-nhl-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Reasons Why Eric Staal Could Use The Olympics To Earn An NHL Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/staaler01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eric Staal<\/a> will play a prominent role for Team Canada at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The 37-year-old has a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, and World Championship already on his resume. A strong performance at the 2020 Olympics will likely earn Staal a final shot in the NHL.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Meet the captains for \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\u2019s Men\u2019s Olympic Team! <\/p>\n<p>C: Eric Staal (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HNOHockey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@HNOHockey<\/a>)<br \/>A: David Desharnais (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HockeyQuebec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@HockeyQuebec<\/a>)<br \/>A: Maxim Noreau (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HockeyQuebec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@HockeyQuebec<\/a>)<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Beijing2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Beijing2022<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HockeyCanada\/status\/1488558993580638211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 1, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Eric Staal Olympics Performance Can Earn Him An NHL Spot<\/h2>\n<p>Staal has over 1000 career NHL points but wasn&#8217;t offered an NHL contract this season. That happened after a disappointing 2020-2021 campaign split between the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/canadiens\/\" target=\"_self\">Montreal Canadiens<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/sabres\/\" target=\"_self\">Buffalo Sabres<\/a>. In 43 games, Staal only amassed 13 points. However, he did score eight points in 21 playoff games to help the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup final.<\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;9582&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, NHL teams have favoured filling depth positions with younger, cheaper options. Still, some teams have found success in veteran depth, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/spezzja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Spezza<\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/leafs\/\" target=\"_self\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>. Staal was not ready for retirement and made that clear when he signed a PTO with the AHL&#8217;s Iowa Wild to prepare for the Olympics. In 4 games with the Wild, Staal scored 5-points.<\/p>\n<p>If he can replicate this success in the Olympics as Canada&#8217;s captain, Staal will be a sought-after depth addition heading into the NHL playoffs.<\/p>\n<h3>Staal&#8217;s Career And NHL History<\/h3>\n<p>The 6&#8217;4&#8243; center was a longtime captain of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/hurricanes\/\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> and assistant for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/wild\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Wild<\/a>. He brings leadership and veteran experience to any roster. As well, his offensive ability, including 441 career NHL goals, has the potential to spark a bottom-six group, or serve on a second powerplay unit. In 2005-2006, he won his first and only Stanley Cup as a member of the Hurricanes. That season he scored 100 points, followed by 28 in 25 playoff games.<\/p>\n<p>Staal almost certainly chose to play in these Olympic Games for Canada with the NHL in mind.<\/p>\n<p>While he won&#8217;t be lined up with NHL All-Stars like the last time he competed in the Olympics in 2010, Staal will have plenty of NHL experience surrounding him to aid in his comeback attempt.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, this includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/winnida01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniel Winnik<\/a> (798 NHL games), Jason Demars (699 NHL games), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/deshada01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Desharnais<\/a> (524 NHL games). In total, 19 members of the Canadian team have played in at least one NHL game. This includes youngster Mason McTavish, who spent 9 games in an Anaheim Ducks jersey this year.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Where He Could Land In The NHL<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>First, Staal isn&#8217;t likely to sign with a team not firmly entrenched in a playoff position. Next, the team will need to have at least a league minimum salary available in cap space. Positionally, he is a center but might slide onto the wing.<\/p>\n<p>His former team, Carolina, would be an exciting reunion, but at the moment, they are one of the most cap-strapped teams in the NHL. Barring other deadline deals, they could still, however, make it work.<\/p>\n<p>This leaves the remainder of the NHL&#8217;s elite. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/vegas-golden-knights\/\" target=\"_self\">Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> seem to be willing to sell the farm time and again to get their Cup sooner than later, but Staal would represent a low-risk, high-reward situation. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/rangers\/\" target=\"_self\">New York Rangers<\/a> have plenty of room, and with younger stars on board, veteran leadership would benefit their roster. The<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/predators\/\" target=\"_self\"> Nashville Predators<\/a> are another team with plenty of cap space, and a need to make a deep playoff run. If they&#8217;re able to hold a playoff position, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/ducks\/\" target=\"_self\">Anaheim Ducks<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/kings\/\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Kings<\/a> also have cap room. Both teams could use the scoring support. Los Angeles however, has a plethora of veterans, and another greying star may not help.<\/p>\n<p>As long as Eric Staal can stay healthy, and isn&#8217;t a complete bust at the Olympic Games, he&#8217;ll have a group of waiting teams happy to take his services without giving up an asset in return. At 37-years-old, Stall is in control of his destiny, and is waiting and willing to fight for one final Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"AJd014dASKlwggR3WtY5hg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com.br\/detail\/1233778773\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'AJd014dASKlwggR3WtY5hg',sig:'cntMllyxnQVyXts1j_ptWoQwBF48yIcGXIxEMemsktY=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1233778773',caption: true ,tld:'com.br',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eric Staal will play a prominent role for Team Canada at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The 37-year-old has a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, and World Championship already on his resume. A strong performance at the 2020 Olympics will likely earn Staal a final shot in the NHL. Meet the captains for \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\u2019s Men\u2019s Olympic Team! [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4075,"featured_media":125183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4547,4548,2963],"tags":[239],"class_list":["post-125163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-olympics","tag-eric-staal"],"modified_by":"Luiza Vidal, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4075"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}