"It's a great squad down there, a lot of really great players," Staal said Wednesday after playing in a game at Da Beauty League, a 4-on-4 summer hockey league comprised of NHL and NCAA Division I players with ties to Minnesota. "I'm just looking for that opportunity to get back in the League and be a piece of the puzzle down there.
"I like the way they're stacked up, and I like the way that they look. They've obviously made some changes and now it's about building toward that and winning the Stanley Cup. That's their goal, and for me to have an opportunity to go to camp to see what I can do with those guys, it's incredibly special and I'm excited to have that chance."
The 37-year-old forward last played in the NHL in 2020-21, when he had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 53 regular-season games with the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, and eight points (two goals, six assists) in 21 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Canadiens reach the Cup Final.
Staal has 1,034 points (441 goals, 593 assists) in 1,293 regular-season games with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Sabres and Canadiens, and 59 points (23 goals, 36 assists) in 83 playoff games. He won the Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.
Last season he had five points (two goals, three assists) in five games with Iowa of the American Hockey League after signing a PTO with the team, and at the 2022 Beijing Olympics he had four points (one goal, three assists) in five games and was captain for Canada, which finished sixth.
"It was unique," Staal said. "I was by myself, losing the Stanley Cup Final in the middle of July. And then the next season started two months later and it just didn't work out there (in Montreal). And then it didn't work out anywhere else. And it was just kind of like, all right, where do we head now? I stayed in shape, and the Olympics came about, so I've had so many unique experiences.
"You take the best of what's given in front of you daily and you prepare the way you need to, and that's what I've done. And I'll continue to do the same for the rest of the summer. And now this opportunity in Florida is going to be great. So I'm excited about that."
The Panthers (58-18-6), who won the Presidents' Trophy last season and reached the second round of the playoffs, and will return much of their core, including forwards Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart, defenseman Aaron Ekblad and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Forward Matthew Tkachuk was added in a trade with the Calgary Flames on July 22 for forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and forward prospect Cole Schwindt, and Paul Maurice was hired as coach June 22.
Florida also signed defenseman Marc Staal to a one-year contract July 13, giving older brother Eric an even bigger reason to be excited at the opportunity he has with the Panthers.
"That was a big reason why I'm doing what I'm doing, to go down there, having him and maybe having that opportunity to play with him," said Staal, who previously played with Marc with the Rangers in 2015-16. "It's special, one, to play in the League, and then to be able to do that alongside your brother on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations is something that you can only dream about. So I'm going to try and prepare myself the best I can to be able to contribute with that group and we'll see how it shakes out."
