Penguins deal Staal to Hurricanes, choose Pouliot with 8th pick

Associated Press

pittsburgh

Jordan Staal wanted a family reunion, and the Pittsburgh Penguins obliged.

The Penguins traded the talented center to the Carolina Hurricanes for two players and Carolina’s first-round pick in the NHL draft that was held in Pittsburgh on Friday night.

The 23-year-old Staal helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009 but reportedly balked at signing a contract extension. Staal has one season left on his current four-year deal. Rather than continue negotiating, the Penguins shipped him to the Hurricanes, where Staal will join brother Eric. Carolina also has Jared Staal — currently playing in the American Hockey League.

Pittsburgh received center Brandon Sutter and defenseman Brian Dumoulin in the deal as well as Carolina’s eighth-overall pick in the draft, which the Penguins used to select defenseman Derrick Pouliot. Late, the Penguins chose defender Olli Maatta of Finland with the 22nd pick of the first round.

On a day when speculation about the future of Columbus star Rick Nash abounded, it was the Penguins who provided the draft with a jolt by sending the popular Staal packing.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hinted at the impact moments before announcing the trade.

Penguins general manager Ray Shero thanked Staal for his contributions to the franchise before taking Pouliot as the capacity crowd at Consol Energy Center roared its approval. The move is a stunning end to a hugely successful run in Pittsburgh for Staal, taken with the sixth pick in the 2006 draft.

Staal quickly developed into a linchpin of Pittsburgh’s meteoric rise through the league. Teaming with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Staal gave the Penguins arguably the best trio of centers in the NHL.

He was a valuable penalty killer and began developing a deft touch around the net in recent years. He scored a career-high 25 goals in the 2011-12 season despite missing 20 games due to injury.

The move gives Carolina an elite young forward they hope will continue to flourish alongside big brother Eric.

“Right back to when all these Staal brothers were drafted, they said at some point in their career, they’d all like to play together,” Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. “This will be a real good fit for them. I think they can have some fun with this.”