NFL
By: Noah Thomas
The 2016 NHL trade deadline ended up being much quieter than expert analysts predicted. With only a handful of noteworthy trades taking place, much of the day’s news centered around the moves that didn’t occur.
SB Nation’s “Morning Skate” column called it the worst trade deadline in the league’s history. While it was relatively boring, that claim may be a bit of a stretch. Last year’s deadline only featured 23 trades as opposed to this year’s 20. So, nothing new coming out of the NHL.
To emphasize the sluggish pace of the day, the Penguins traded Sergei Plotnikov to the Coyotes for prospect Matthias Plachta and a conditional 7th round draft pick early in the morning. Another notable trade did not occur for nearly four hours.
Some of the biggest news out of the deadline didn’t occur the day of—the Carolina Hurricanes shook the foundation of the franchise on Sunday when they traded 12-year veteran and team captain Eric Staal to the New York Rangers. Staal left Raleigh in exchange for prospect Aleksi Saarela and two 2nd-round picks.
*Start personal bias* As an adult male indigenous to North Carolina, not to mention one that is an extreme homer for all North Carolina sports, I am incredibly sad to see Eric Staal leave the Hurricanes.
I grew up a fan of the Hurricanes and I consider myself a moderately dedicated hockey fan. I don’t watch hockey much anymore, but I have always kept up with the Hurricanes. Staal was always my favorite, and I knew that the trade rumors that have surrounded him for several seasons would eventually culminate and send him elsewhere.
I was not prepared for it. I felt my heart drop when I heard the news. Best of luck to Eric in the future. I hope he’ll make his way back to Raleigh one day and help the Hurricanes make another run at the Cup. *End personal bias*
Staal helped lead the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006, three years after being drafted second overall by the franchise. He scored 322 goals in his 12 seasons there, totaling 775 points. He failed to score in 15 minutes of action in his first game as a Ranger, a game they won 2-1 over Columbus.
Kris Russell was traded to the Dallas Stars by the Calgary Flames to help boost a defense that has placed Dallas in second place in the Western Conference. Sitting at 38-19-7 with 83 points, right behind first-place Chicago, the Stars are attempting to make one final push before the playoffs start in April.
