Eric Staal’s presence showing up on scoresheet as Panthers try to snap seasonlong rut

When the Florida Panthers brought Eric Staal to training camp as a professional tryout, they knew they might not be able to sign the veteran center right away. They wanted Staal on the roster, but they were already up against the salary cap with just 20 players under contract. There was no wiggle room.

When the Panthers were finally able to sign Staal when star defenseman Aaron Ekblad went on long-term injured reserve three games into the season, they weren’t expecting anything flashy from the 38-year-old. He would center the team’s fourth line, be a big body on the ice and provide stability and a veteran presence to a youth-laden forward group.

Two months later? Staal is proving to be a valuable role player for the Panthers on and off the ice as the team has seen its forward depth diminish due to injuries and illness. The 18-year NHL veteran is a key player on Florida’s penalty kill, has moved up from the fourth line to the third and is seeing occasional time on the power play as well.

And he’s producing on the scoresheet now, too. After going without a point through his first 16 games, Staal has eight points (three goals, five assists) in the month of December. Only Matthew Tkachuk (11 points), Sam Reinhart (10 points) and Carter Verhaeghe (nine points) have produced more points than Staal this month.

“Honestly, I am here to play a role and contribute in any way I can,” Staal said after scoring his first goal of the season on Dec. 11 against the Seattle Kraken. “I have been asked to penalty kill a lot, and I try to take a lot of pride in that and do a good job with the guys. But obviously, it is always nice to contribute offensively and score. I’ve been able to do that for the most part of my whole career. It took a little while to get that first one, but hopefully for myself, that opened the floodgates a little bit to help me relax the shoulders and just be able to get a few more for this group as we keep moving forward.”

But can Staal’s renaissance play a factor for the Panthers as they try to break their first-half rut?

The Panthers are 15-16-4, seven points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division and eight points behind the Washington Capitals for the second Eastern Conference wild card spot. Florida has lost three in a row and six of its past eight games.

“With where we’re at, you’ve got to fight and claw to get points,” Staal said. “Those have been difficult here for the last little bit.”

Staal’s pedigree and accolades are well known. More than 1,300 games played. More than 1,000 points. A Stanley Cup. Gold medals at both the World Championships (2007) and Winter Olympics (2010) with Team Canada. Captain for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics, a role he took after deciding to take off the 2021-22 NHL season.

But the 6-4, 195-pound center plays without an ego. He knows he’s not getting the big minutes anymore, so he tries to make the most of the time he does get on the ice each night.

His current linemates, wingers Nick Cousins and Ryan Lomberg, certainly have noticed.

“He’s been coming on here the last couple weeks,” Cousins said. “It’s been fun to play with him. He’s obviously a big body, played a lot of games in this league and is a Stanley Cup winner. He’s really good on faceoffs and helps our line start with the puck. He’s been a lot of fun to play with.”

“He’s the definition of a pro,” Lomberg added, comparing Staal to another NHL great in Joe Thornton, who played with the Panthers last season. “He’s always in the right spots, doing the right things. He’s an easy guy to play with.”

Roster moves

The Panthers sent forwards Grigori Denisenko and Givani Smith as well as defenseman Matt Kiersted to AHL Charlotte at the start of the NHL’s Christmas break.

This could signal the potential returns of Aleksander Barkov, Chris Tierney and Radko Gudas, all of whom have missed extended time with injury, when Florida resumes its schedule on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens.

Barkov, the Panthers’ captain and top center, missed the Panthers’ final three games before the break with a lower-body injury. Before that, Barkov also missed seven games in an eight-game span with an illness. Tierney has missed five consecutive games. Gudas, one of the Panthers’ top defensemen this season, has missed 10 games with a concussion.

The team has not provided an update on Ekblad, who left Friday’s game against the New York Islanders in the first period with an upper-body injury.

Wingers Patric Hornqvist and Anthony Duclair, meanwhile, remain on long-term injured reserve.