Eric Staal to Montreal?

With just under 5 weeks until the NHL trade deadline, there has been much talk concerning Carolina Hurricanes center man and captain  Eric Staal 's future with the only franchise he has ever played for. At 31 years old, the eldest of four Staal brothers, Eric is in his final year of his 7 year / $57,750,000 contract. Currently midway through his 12th year with the Hurricanes, Staal has recorded total of 28 points in 44 games on a bottom division team. The 6 foot, 205 pound centerman won a Stanley Cup with Carolina back in 2006, where he recorded a career high 100 point season.

According to The Fourth Period, Eric Staal is unlikely to re-sign with the Hurricanes and is likely to be dealt before the deadline on February 29th at 3p.m ET. Staal did mention that there is a lot more than just the hockey to think about when asked about a potential trade, stating: "I have a family. There's things you think about. My brother's [Jordan] playing here. There are a lot of different things you think about. You try not to worry about it too much, and play, and hopefully we can get on a little bit of a run here and go from there and let it sort itself out. We'll see what happens."

Staal said in November he would like to re-sign with Carolina.

If Carolina is looking to move their captain, expect his brother Jordan to be on the move as well. Although, both players have a full no-trade clause and a high cap hit, which could make it difficult to deal them.  The Montreal Candiens are among a couple other teams that have expressed their interests regarding the center man.

Eric Staal could be the big, powerful centerman the Canadiens have been looking for to solidify them down the middle. GM Marc Bergevin and management must take Carey Price's injury status into consideration if they decide to pursue Staal, as he will likely be a rental player. It would take at least defensive prospect Jarred Tinordi or offensive prospect Michael McCarron and high draft pick to acquire the Hurricanes captain.

Would you be willing to pull the trigger on a deal for Eric Staal, knowing that Price could return prior to the playoffs?

#11 Jordan Staal (left) and brother #12 Eric Staal (right) - (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)