Eric Staal signs one-year, $750,000 deal with Panthers

According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Eric Staal is set to join the Florida Panthers on a one-year, $750,000 deal.

Staal, 37, spent the pre-season with Florida, but was ultimately not signed due to cap limitations. Staal last played in the NHL in 2020-21, recording 13 points in 53 games with Buffalo and Montreal before being an integral part of Montreal’s bottom six during the team’s playoff run that year.

Last season, Staal had a short, and successful, AHL stint with the Iowa Wild before captaining Canada’s Olympic effort. While his game-to-game results were a mixed bag, you could tell he wanted another shot at an NHL deal.

So it’s fitting it ends up happening with the same team that his brother, Marc, skates for. Marc’s contract and Eric’s PTO were announced at the start of NHL free agency, but Eric still had to prove he could still play in the NHL. Staal failed to record a point in four pre-season games, but the team still clearly sees value in his play as a leader in a bottom-line role.

The Panthers currently have Aaron Ekblad ($7.5 million) and Anthony Duclair ($3 million) on long-term injured reserve. Earlier this week, Panthers GM Bill Zito said Ekblad’s injury is not season-ending. A report from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said Ekblad is expected to miss the next 4-7 weeks with a groin injury. It was a tough blow for the Panthers, who traded MacKenzie Weegar to Calgary as part of the deal that brought over Matthew Tkachuk.

The Panthers currently sit third in the Atlantic Division with a 3-1-0 record, with Buffalo, Montreal and Toronto all having three wins as well. Florida plays Tampa Bay tonight in a revival of the Battle of Florida before hosting the New York Islanders on Sunday. It’ll be interesting to see precisely when Staal slots in, and how coach Paul Maurice utilizes him.