'An opportunity I needed to take': Staal pleased to land with contending Rangers

Eric Staal didn't want to look back on his career and wonder.

Staal met with the New York media on Monday less than 24 hours after being dealt from the Carolina Hurricanes, and explained that the prospects of winning another Stanley Cup - and this time with his brother, Marc - was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Deep, deep in my gut, this was a chance, an opportunity I needed to take," he said, according to Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record. "This is where I wanted to go, where I wanted to be. Being with Marc (Staal) is an (added) benefit."

The deal casts the unrestricted free agent's future further in doubt. But while he believes he has a lot of hockey left, Staal's unwilling to look beyond the next few months.

"I believe this a group that can compete against anybody when the playoffs start," he said.

Another uncertainty, and for now one that's more pressing, is where Staal fits in the Rangers' lineup. He told reporters he's more comfortable at center, but with Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard filling out the two top-six roles down the middle, he might have to shift to the wing.