- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Eric Staal will be a UFA at the end of the season, and it doesn’t sound like any contract extension is imminent.
“We never really put a time frame on it,” Curran told ESPN.com on Monday. “We’ve had a great, honest dialogue. We were open all along to letting the season get underway and see where it goes from there. There’s no problem from either side, there’s a clear understanding. The focus now is on the team getting off to a good start.”
Hurricanes GM Ron Francis on the Staal situation.
“Rick and I have had a good, open dialogue. I’ve had the same conversations with Eric himself. We’re all comfortable with where we are at. We’ll get into the season, see how things go, and we’ll go from there. But everything’s fine.”
- Scott Lewis of Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on Sportnet 960 radio on Eric Staal and the Hurricanes.
“The last I heard about this is that they’re not close, so that’s going to be interesting,” Friedman said.
“I personally believe Eric Staal would benefit from a change,” said Friedman. “I think it would rejuvenate his career. The thing is, he has a great setup there. Obviously he loves Carolina. The organization loves Eric Staal. His family is there, he has a beautiful home there, he is very comfortable.
“I don’t think anybody is going to come out and say that, but I have heard they’re not really that close in negotiations. He has control. He has a no-move clause, just like Cam Ward does. Carolina can’t do anything without his approval.”
What do you think will happen between the Carolina Hurricanes and Eric Staal?