First off, let’s talk about the obvious need for his departure. His cap hit is tremendous with a salary that is outdated and outweighed. Thankfully, his mega contract has just one year remaining.
His annual average salary of $5.7 million is comparable to those of Justin Schultz, Seth Jones, and Duncan Keith. The two men have a combined seven All-Star Game appearances compared to Staal’s one.
With the likes of first pairing defensemen Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba recently signing huge contracts, there just simply isn’t any place for Staal in the lineup or on a hefty check.