Former Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal signed a one-day contract Tuesday to send a Carolina Hurricanes player out of retirement.
Staal, 39, played 12 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Hurricanes, recording 455 goals, 608 assists and 1,063 points in 1,365 games for the Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and Panthers, and recording 25 goals, 39 assists and 64 points in 104 playoff games.
He was captain of the Hurricanes for seven seasons, from 2009 to 2016, and has led the team in games played (909), goals (322), assists (453) and points (775) since the franchise moved from Hartford.
In his Wild career, Staal recorded 111 goals, 129 assists and 240 points in 311 games. In his first season with the Wild, Staal led the team in goals with 28 and was second in points behind Mikael Granlund.
His sophomore season was one for the Wild record books. Staal became the first Wild player to score 40 or more goals in a single season since Marian Gaborik did so in 2007-08. He was the second player in Wild history to score 40 or more goals.
Staal’s 76-point season in 2017-18 was the third-best in franchise history at the time. He has now been surpassed by Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Fiala and Kirill Kaprizov (twice).
View the original article to view the embedded media.
Be sure to bookmark The Hockey News’ Minnesota Wild page for breaking news, exclusive interviews, analysis and more.
Other wild news items
Wild signs eight-year contract extension for Brock Faber
Nic Petan signs with the KHL
Wild prospect Zeev Buium lights up Summer Showcase
Official: Wild to open 2024-25 season against former head coach
Wild re-sign striker Graeme Clarke on a one-year deal
