The Carolina Hurricanes are in the middle of a rebuild and, with Eric Staal only a year away from free agency, rumors have surfaced that Staal could be traded.
In this edition of the hotstove we discuss whether or not 'Canes GM Ron Francis should trade his captain.
Todd Cordell I would absolutely look into trading Eric Staal.
He's still a good player but his best days are behind him and it's not going to get any better. He's a depreciating asset who will surely want to make a couple good runs while he can still be an important player.
Steal needs a new contract after the upcoming season and I think the Hurricanes would be better served trading him for assets to help the rebuild rather than paying a player on the decline big time money.
By the time the Hurricanes are truly competitive Staal won't be nearly as good as he is now. That's why Francis should trade him while he still has value. If he has to eat some salary for a year in order to maximize Staal's value then so be it.
Tim Chiasson Yes.
The Hurricanes should trade Staal and get into an actual rebuild. They have a chance to get a great return right now on him and begin to turn this franchise in a new direction. There are some good pieces in place already like Elias Lindholm, but they need to keep adding good, young talent into the system.
Having the Staal brothers together hasn't been the fairy-tale everyone had hoped for so it's time for Ron Francis to cut bait and move on. If Eric goes, Jordan will follow.
Eric Staal is going to be 31 early in the 2015-2016 season. There will not be another Stanley Cup in Carolina with him so they need to get value out of him while they still can.
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