Florida Panthers sign Marc Staal to one-year deal, Eric Staal to PTO

It looks like there will be a Staal family reunion in Florida next season.

According to Bob McKenzie, the Florida Panthers have signed Marc Staal to a one-year, $750k deal and Eric Staal to a professional tryout contract.

Marc Staal was selected by the New York Rangers with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. He spent 13 seasons with the Rangers but has been playing with the Detroit Red Wings for the past two seasons. The 35-year-old played his 1,000th NHL game last season.

Eric Staal was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes and has scored 1,034 points over 17 seasons in the league. Eric last played in the NHL in 2021 when he helped the Montreal Canadiens make a shocking run to the Stanley Cup Final. He didn’t play in the NHL in 2021-22 but captained Team Canada at the Olympics in Beijing in February.

Eric and Marc Staal have played together in the NHL once before. That came back in 2015-16 when the Hurricanes traded Eric to the Rangers. Eric also played alongside his other brother, Jordan Staal, for multiple years in Carolina.