ST. PAUL, Minn. – Not only won’t Eric Staal be heading anywhere at the NHL trade deadline, he’ll be staying put for two more seasons.
The Thunder Bay forward has agreed to a two-year, $6.5-million contract extension to remain with the Minnesota Wild, the team he’s played with for the last three seasons.
"Ever since I first came to Minnesota, it just felt like the right place for me," Staal told NHL.com. "It's just been a great transition for me as a hockey player and as a family. I feel like I've kind of become one of the Minnesotans, and it's a place where we wanted to be.”
Staal, 34, has 18 goals and 23 assists in 62 games this season and has 413 goals and 963 points in 1,133 games with the Wild, New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes, who drafted him second overall in 2003.
The 15-year veteran was the subject of several trade rumours at the deadline, linked to the Boston Bruins among other teams. But he had a 10-team limited no-trade contract and several reports said he'd listed mostly contenders on the list to avoid the likelihood of being dealt.
He's happy to be sticking around, just six hours south of his home town.
"There was a lot of uncertainty and a lot of chatter, I think now, to have that put to bed and to just play, it's a good feeling," Staal told NHL.com.
"Personally, sometimes, I probably had too many thoughts [on being traded]; With family and your future, you're always thinking about things. Now, you just forget about it, relax, enjoy and play. That's what I'm gonna try to do tomorrow and have some fun doing it."
