It’s not the move many saw coming, but it may have been the best possible move for the New York Rangers at this year’s trading deadline.
In what is arguably the biggest trade made so far this season, the Rangers sent prospect Aleksi Saarela as well as second-round draft picks in 2016 and 2017 to the Carolina Hurricanes for the face of their franchise, center Eric Staal.
Though the elder Staal, who joins younger brother Marc in New York, is clearly on the decline of his career, this is still a move more than worth noting.