MINNEAPOLIS – Being traded to the Buffalo Sabres was not on the list of topics Eric Staal expected to discuss when Bill Guerin called him on Wednesday.
He assumed the Minnesota Wild general manager wanted to talk about run-of-the-mill offseason preparations, maybe a debriefing on a season that came to an early end in the play-in round of the NHL bubble at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks.
Instead he learned he was headed to the Queen City, to play out the final season of a two-year, $6.5-million contract alongside fellow Thunder Bay product, goaltender Carter Hutton, dealt for by former teammate Kevyn Adams, the newly named Sabres general manager.
“I think just the initial shock of everything was the biggest emotion I felt and we felt. It’s been a great fit here in Minnesota for me and for my family. We really integrated well, not only on the rink for me, but my kids and my wife,” Staal said, speaking on Friday during a Zoom media conference arranged by the National Hockey League team.
“And to me that’s my most important thing. When you get that news, pretty much out of the blue, it kind of throws you for a little bit of a loop. But we’ve been able to process here a little bit more over the last two days or so.”
Staal, who signed as a free agent with the Wild in 2016, said he’s not too familiar with a Sabres organization that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011.
He does, however, have fond memories of Adams, a teammate for four seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, including the team that captured the Stanley Cup in 2006.
“I was at his house numerous times as a young guy. We just got along really well. When he became general manager in Buffalo I sent him a note, just wishing him the best, knowing that he would succeed and do well,” Staal said.
“Little did I know he’d be trading for me in two months.”
The veteran centre, who turns 36 next month, is coming off a respectable, COVID-shortened campaign with the Wild, one that saw him put up 19 goals and 47 points in 66 appearances, bringing his career totals to 436 goals and 1,021 points in 1,240 NHL contests.
He thinks he can still make a difference on a young team, led by No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel.
“Hopefully I can be impactful. I mean, that’s the plan,” Staal said.
“I don’t honestly know a lot about the team in general. I’ve been in the West for the last four years, so it’s tough when you’re in a different conference. You don’t really play that team. You only play them twice a year ... But I know they’ve got a lot of talent. I know, obviously, Jack (Eichel) is elite.
He’s also familiar with Jeff Skinner from his Carolina days, and Hutton, who hails from his hometown in Northern Ontario. The Hurricanes also played the 2006 Eastern Conference final against the Sabres, so he’s confident there’s a passionate hockey base in Buffalo, to go along with the talent on the team.
“There are guys there that are competitive and great players. For me, I think I’m just going to try to be myself coming in and then hopefully as a group we can develop that team atmosphere that desires to win and compete every night,” said Staal, who added he’s also talked to coach Ralph Krueger about his role on the team.
“I think if you can collectively gel and be a group like that and tight-knit, I think you’ll find success.”
