The Penguins really let one slip through the grasp today. Eric Staal is heading to the Buffalo Sabres for Marcus Johnansson. Staal is better and cheaper than Johansson. The Penguins are searching for a third line center and Staal would have been a great fit.

Eric Staal, acquired by BUF, has been consistently great for the past four seasons, is very productive, and has even been pretty decent defensively in the past two seasons. Barring a sudden collapse he's a very strong top six centre. #sabres pic.twitter.com/eFHCKdwtXh

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) September 16, 2020

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How the hell did the Sabres get the inside track on Eric Staal?! How did they get him for so little? Did Staal’s availability never come up between Jim Rutherford and Bill Guerin? They’ve made deals around Jason Zucker and most recently Nick Bjugstad. They talk quite a bit. Throw in the fact Staal is a former star player for Rutherford's Hurricanes and I’m at a loss for words how Eric Staal fell through the cracks here. He is the perfect 3C for what the Penguins need.

Huge opportunity lost on this one. I feel like Rutherford should have known Staal was available and acted on it. His strength is being an active trader. Man, the Sabres did great here. The Penguins not so much.

Thanks for reading!

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