THUNDER BAY -- Eric Staal may not be retiring after all -- and he's about to be reunited with his brother Marc.
The siblings on Wednesday signed one-year, $750,000 deals to continue their hockey careers with the Florida Panthers. Eric Staal's contract is conditional on making the team, officially listed as a professional tryout agreement.
The duo played together briefly with the New York Rangers in 2015-16.
Eric Staal did not play in the NHL last season, suiting up for four games with the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, a tuneup for playing for Team Canada at the Olympic Games. He last played in the NHL with Montreal, helping lead the Canadiens to the 2021 Stanley Cup final. He won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and has also played with the Minnesota Wild and the Buffalo Sabres.
The 37-year-old has 441 career goals and 1,034 assists in his career, spanning 17 seasons and 1,293 career games.
Marc Staal, a defenceman, spent the past two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. He put up 16 points in 71 games, and has 214 points in 1,019 career games over 15 seasons.
The 35-year-old spent his first 13 seasons with the Rangers, playing in the 2014 Stanley Cup final against the victorious Los Angeles Kings.
Younger brother Jordan is captain of the Carolina Hurricanes. The siblings last season became the first trio of brothers to each hit the 1,000 games played mark.
The Panthers, who lost forward Claude Giroux of Hearst, Ont. to the Ottawa Senators, picked up a Senators cast-off, signing defenceman Colin White to a one-year deal. Ottawa bought out the 25-year-old prior to the start of free agency.
