Eric Staal has been a disappointment thus far this season for the Montreal Canadiens, no matter which way you cut it.
I won’t lie, when it was first announced Staal would be donning the Blue Blanc et Rouge (following a March 26th acquisition) I was excited, as were many Habs fans and analysts alike. While he has had his hiccups over the course of his career, Staal had built up a reputation as a consistent, often deadly two-way player who brought the same qualities night in and night out. The second overall pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, in the oft-heralded 2003 NHL entry draft, Staal immediately made an impression less than a year after making his NHL debut.
Following a lukewarm rookie season with 11-20-31 totals over 81 games, a chance to develop in the AHL over the cancelled 2004-05 season, led to Staal exploding out of the gate come 2005-06, posting 45-55-100 totals over 82 games, leading the Hurricanes to a Southeast Division title and eventual Stanley Cup title, posting 28 points over 25 games in the postseason. Since then, while he managed to continue to put up solid, often impressive numbers, being named team captain in the process, Staal unfortunately suffered through the mediocrity that was the mid 2000s to mid 2010s Hurricanes, as the team would only make one more post-season appearance under his leadership.
Following a lukewarm start to the 2015-16 season, and with him set to become a UFA at season’s end, Staal was dealt to the New York Rangers at that season’s trade deadline, in exchange for a mix of picks and prospects. While he was expected to bolster a Rangers squad looking to make a deep playoff run, joining his brother Marc in the process, Staal posted a less than impressive six points over 20 games as New York was ousted in the first round. However, surely that was just a fluke, right? A rough post-trade deadline performance that many player’s have suffered from, right? Sadly, no.
As much as I wanted Staal to step in and contribute to an offensively and to an extent, defensively starved Canadiens team with his reliable two-way play, that just simply hasn’t been the case. Following his stint on Broadway, Staal signed a short three-year deal with the Minnesota Wild, where he was able to revitalize his career once again, becoming the team’s star player with three consecutive seasons with 50 or more points. While his play brought some much-needed offensive punch to a Wild team that had long been lacking in much identity before the arrival of Kirill Kaprizov, they never made it past the first round under Staal.
After playing out the first year of a second short term deal signed in February of 2019, Staal was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Marcus Johansson. Having just come off their ninth consecutive season without a playoff birth, the arrival of Staal and former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall led many to believe this season would be different. Well five goalies and an 18-game losing streak later, and Buffalo is now playoff-less for a tenth season, and Staal has been a trade deadline dud, for the second time in his career.
In spite of a huge 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, Eric Staal’s losing battle to father time leaves his future with the Canadiens questionable.
With the Canadiens in the midst of a frustrating inconsistent stretch heading towards the trade deadline (in spite of some big wins over the past few games)GM Marc Bergevin made multiple acquisitions in an attempt to add some punch. Erik Gustafson and Jon Merrill were brought in to reinforce the backend, and top prospect Cole Caufield was signed to a three-year entry level deal to add some offensive punch alongside Staal. Well, in spite of all these moves, the Habs have yet to truly get out of the inconsistent hole they’ve dug themselves in, made only worse by the loss of Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price to injury. While they’re playoff hopes seem locked now following a huge 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, Staal’s future in those playoff plans remains questionable.
For a player who’s just a year removed from a 47-point season, Staal has looked like a complete and total shell of his former self through his first 15 games in Montreal. With just two goals and a -8 rating, Staal is up to 5-7-12 totals with a -28 rating over 46 games. Now admittedly, much of these poor numbers stem from the absolute dumpster fire of a season the Sabres have been enduring, and the prior performance of any player acquired from Buffalo, should be taken with a grain of salt.
Aside from a terrific first goal, providing a storybook finish to an exciting 3-2 OT win over the Edmonton Oilers on April 12th, Staal has just looked a step too slow to be anywhere near competitive on an NHL ice surface. Centering the fourth line alongside fellow veteran forwards Corey Perry and Michael Frolik, the dump and chase style of Montreal’s bottom six has completely and utterly not worked for Staal. On most plays, he loses the race for the puck, even when he’s ahead, and just looks like a player in need of a much more reduced role than the one he’s currently seeing. In contrast, Perry has been, in my opinion, one of the best players on the Canadiens this season, bringing his usual instigating play to the mix whilst rediscovering his offensive game many thought he had lost.
While he’s no longer the consistent 40 goal threat he once was, he’s adapted his play to the modern NHL and has continued to find ice time, being all over the Canadiens lineup over the course of this season. While I believe that Staal could similarly find ice time with an adapted role, he’s yet to do that, and quite frankly, I’m not sure if he will before the end of this season. There’s no doubt that Staal is still a talented hockey player, and he’s been a lock in the faceoff circle for the Habs with 51.9 win percentage, but his offense has dried up to the point that it might as well be jerky. It’s a shame considering the pedigree Staal brought to Montreal, and the argument that he’s here for the playoffs aside, I’d like to see him win a simple race for the puck before I consider his potential as a playoff contributor.
In the end, the Canadiens focus for the moment needs to be on putting distance between them and the eerily approaching Darryl Sutter led Calgary Flames. Sutter’s by the books defensive style has gotten them out of a rough start, and if Montreal wants to see the playoffs, they need to find wins quickly and frequently, even with some big wins recently. In spite of the playoff hopes that loom nearer and nearer, as he endures yet another turbulent post-trade deadline performance, it seems as Eric Staal needs to find his groove, if he wants to be apart of those same playoff ambitions.