Hurricanes Acquire Jared Staal from Coyotes

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Thursday that they have acquired right wing Jared Staal from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. The Hurricanes then signed Staal to a three-year entry level contract on Friday. He was originally a second round draft pick of the Coyotes in 2008. In 59 games this past season with Sudbury of the OHL, he scored 12 goals and 37 assists for 49 points. He also appeared in five games with San Antonio of the AHL, scoring one assist. This isn't a bad move for the Hurricanes, as they hardly gave up anything to get a prospect forward in return. Jared was once considered to be the best of the Staal brothers (Eric, Jordan, and Marc), but has had a couple of down seasons recently. Perhaps playing with Eric in Carolina will help him improve his game, and if he does, this could be a steal for the Hurricanes and a bad move for the Coyotes. If not, giving up a fifth round draft pick shouldn't be a huge loss to the Hurricanes.