Report: Hurricanes, Rangers 'closing in' on trade for Eric Staal
It appears Eric Staal's time with the Carolina Hurricanes is set to end.
Staal's name is all over the rumor mill ahead of the trade deadline and talks between the Hurricanes and New York Rangers are "intensifying," according to TSN's Bob McKenzie, while Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman adds that the two clubs are "closing in" on a deal for the Carolina captain.
The Rangers have long been identified as the most obvious suitor for Staal, and TSN's Bob McKenzie reports that a potential impasse in trade talks is the inclusion of a first-round draft pick. The Hurricanes want one, and the Rangers don't want to give one up.
Assuming Staal to NYR gets done - and it's not done yet - I'd expect CAR to get couple of picks (2nd rounders?) and a prospect. Stay tuned.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 28, 2016
At 1:35 p.m. ET, USA Today's Kevin Allen tweeted that Staal will not play Sunday against the St. Louis Blues, who the Hurricanes host at 3 p.m. Staal was originally said to be in the lineup, according to the Raleigh News & Observer's Chip Alexander.
NHL.com's Arpon Basu adds an important qualifier to all of the above: The Rangers don't have a first-round pick in 2016, and should they deal their first-rounder in 2017, it'll be five years since the club has draft in the first round.