On the Hurricanes …
- Luke Fox of Sportsnet: Eric Staal on Hockey Central at Noon yesterday.
“I would like to . I haven’t talked a lot about anything, to be honest,” Staal told Hockey Central at Noon Thursday. “Obviously there’s decisions that need to be made moving forward.”
The 31-year old carries a $8.25 million cap hit and no-trade clause. There are rumors that the Rangers could be a good trade fit.
There have been no deadlines set to get an extension done. The Hurricanes and Staal are taking a wait-and-see approach.
“It could be in the next month or two, I don’t know,” said Staal, one of five NHL captains on an expiring contract. “There’s other guys in the league in the same situation as me. It’ll work itself out, and whatever way it goes, we’ll continue on.”
On the Bruins …
- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: The Bruins have some decisions to make regarding Loui Eriksson – to re-sign him or to trade him. The 30-year old trade value is currently high, and a trade could get them a major score before the deadline. If Eriksson is good with, say, a four-year, $24 million deal, the Bruins should do it. If he’s looking for more than that, the Bruins should give pause. Trading Eriksson, would obviously hurt the team this year, but they can’t risk holding on to him and losing for nothing on July 1st.
- Zacl Cox of NESN: Chris Kelly is rehabbing from a broken femur. The 35-year old will be a free agent at the end of the season, and there is a chance that the injury is career-ending, but he’s not thinking about retirement just yet.
“That’s the furthest thing from my mind,” Kelly said. “I think age is, in my opinion, just a mindset. I felt great coming into camp this year. The great thing about hockey, someone said, is you always feel like you’re 24, even if you’re 19 or you’re 34.
“I want to continue to play. I love the game. I love being around the guys. The guys have been great. When you get an injury like this, you realize what a strong community the hockey world is. Lots of people reached out to me, and a lot of well-wishes. It was great to see.”