Hockey Trade Rumors

Lots to think about when it comes to deciding on how to handle the situation.

The captain is an unrestricted free agent this summer. The widely-held assumption this season was that Carolina wouldn’t be very good and that Staal, if prepared to waive his no-trade clause, might fetch a first-round pick and a good prospect on the rental market at the deadline so his $9.5 million salary and $8.25 million cap hit could be reallocated in future years to a new generation of Canes.

Sounds like a plan.

But winning has complicated that. Being in a playoff race has muddled the vision.