Days like this can be a reminder that this is not a game played by robots.
“A ton of emotion, obviously,” is how Eric Staal began his press briefing before his first game as a Ranger, Monday night at the Garden against the Blue Jackets.
Staal was obtained in the blockbuster deal on Sunday that sent two second-round picks and Finnish prospect Aleksi Saarela to the Hurricanes. It was a deal made possible by Staal waiving his no-move clause to join his brother Marc on Broadway. He also left his brother Jordan, who was his teammate in Carolina.
“Honestly, it was tough,” Eric said. “We knew as the year progressed, this was a possibility that could happen, with the discussions that I had had with management, with the direction they wanted to go in. [Jordan] knew it was a possibility, and it still didn’t make it any easier.
“You played a whole year, you grind and you push and when you make moves like the Hurricanes did [Sunday], it can kind of be a letdown for the guys that pushed hard to get them in a spot there. But [Jordan] understands it’s a business. We had a good embrace on the way out, and he’s excited for me and this chance with this group.”
The excitement from the Rangers is almost palpable. It was a win-now move made by general manager Jeff Gorton, and one that carries a big message to this current group that they’re doing all they can to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1994, and second in the past 76 years. With other elite teams around the league improving before Monday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, the Rangers needed to keep up — and they did.
“I think with what’s happened in the league — with Chicago, etc., etc., etc. — I think it was important to send a message to our group that we believe in them and we have faith in them,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “I think that’s the message that management and coaches have, and we’re sending it.”
But for Eric, after 12 years with the Hurricanes, being their captain and having won a Stanley Cup there in 2006, it was a tough split. He said he saw the youth movement that general manager Ron Francis was leading, and as a 31-year-old set to be an unrestricted free agent, it was time to move on.
“Started my career there, won a Stanley Cup there, a ton of memories that you’re leaving behind,” Staal said. “But at the same time, this is where I wanted to go and this is where I wanted to be. To get started and to get the opportunity to be here — to have Marc here is obviously an extra benefit — but if he wasn’t, this is still a great spot for me and this moment in my career, and I’m just excited to continue on.”
Staal said his agent had very minimal discussions with Francis about a contract extension, and he had given him a list of teams that he would waive the no-move clause for — with the Rangers near the top.
“We gave them a couple teams, but they knew that this is the spot I wanted to be, for obvious reasons,” Staal said. “I’m grateful that Ron and Jeff were able to work something out and give me the opportunity to be here and join this group of guys.”
When the trade was consummated Sunday, Eric had to break the news to his family, and he said the interaction was “interesting.”
“My 4-year-old just kept telling me he didn’t want me to move away,” Staal said. “And I said, ‘I’m not leaving without you, buddy.’ He didn’t understand.”
But now Eric is with the Rangers, and the Staal parents will be making the trek from Thunder Bay, Ontario, down to New York City more often. It’s a transition that Eric called “bittersweet,” but that will soon be left behind only for the singular focus of trying to win a Stanley Cup.
“You’re leaving a lot of people you care about, you’re leaving a lot of things that mean a lot to me,” Staal said. “But the opportunity to be on a great team, to play with Marc, it’s too good to pass up.”