RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has acquired center Aleksi Saarela (al-EHX-ay sah’ah-REH-lah), a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft from the New York Rangers in exchange for center Eric Staal.
“Eric has been the face of this franchise for a long time, and we thank him for his dedication, leadership and many contributions on and off the ice over the years,” said Francis.