Hockey Terminal
Be a GM

← All players

Photo of Eric Staal

Eric Staal

#12 · Centre · Florida Panthers

Born Oct 29, 1984 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, CAN · 6'4", 195 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 2nd overall in 2003 by CAR (round 1)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2005-06

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2016-17. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Jeff Carter LAK · 66 P in 82 GP Nikolaj Ehlers WPG · 64 P in 82 GP John Tavares NYI · 66 P in 77 GP Patrik Laine WPG · 64 P in 73 GP Max Pacioretty MTL · 67 P in 81 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0204060801002003-04: 31 points3103-042005-06: 100 points1002006-07: 70 points7006-072007-08: 82 points822008-09: 75 points7508-092009-10: 70 points702010-11: 76 points7610-112011-12: 70 points702012-13: 53 points5312-132013-14: 61 points612014-15: 54 points5414-152015-16: 39 points392016-17: 65 points6516-172017-18: 76 points762018-19: 52 points5218-192019-20: 47 points472020-21: 13 points1320-212022-23: 29 points29

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2003-04 CAR 81 11 20 31 -6 40 164 16 0.38
2005-06 CAR 82 45 55 100 -8 81 279 43 1.22
2006-07 CAR 82 30 40 70 -6 68 288 77 0.85 $4.5M
2007-08 CAR 82 38 44 82 -2 50 310 99 1.00 $4.5M
2008-09 CAR 82 40 35 75 15 50 372 61 0.91 $4.5M
2009-10 CAR 70 29 41 70 4 68 277 75 1.00 $8.25M
2010-11 CAR 81 33 43 76 -10 72 296 81 0.94 $8.25M
2011-12 CAR 82 24 46 70 -20 48 262 48 0.85 $8.25M
2012-13 CAR 48 18 35 53 5 54 152 35 1.10 $8.25M
2013-14 CAR 79 21 40 61 -13 74 230 67 0.77 $8.25M
2014-15 CAR 77 23 31 54 -13 41 244 65 0.70 $8.25M
2015-16 CAR 63 10 23 33 -3 32 159 55 0.52 $8.25M
2015-16 NYR 20 3 3 6 1 2 40 19 0.30
2016-17 MIN 82 28 37 65 17 34 211 42 0.79 $3.5M
2017-18 MIN 82 42 34 76 8 42 241 42 0.93 $3.5M
2018-19 MIN 81 22 30 52 -7 34 215 41 0.64 $3.5M
2019-20 MIN 66 19 28 47 -9 28 113 24 0.71 $3.25M
2020-21 BUF 32 3 7 10 -20 8 59 14 0.31 $3.25M
2020-21 MTL 21 2 1 3 -10 2 23 9 0.14
2022-23 FLA 72 14 15 29 -5 26 106 27 0.40 $750K
18 seasons Career 1365 455 608 1063 -82 854 4041 940 0.78

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2005-06 CAR 25 9 19 28 0 8 87 25 1.12
2008-09 CAR 18 10 5 15 -3 4 73 20 0.83
2015-16 NYR 5 0 0 0 -7 4 7 9 0.00
2016-17 MIN 5 0 1 1 -1 0 12 9 0.20
2017-18 MIN 5 1 1 2 -3 2 14 11 0.40
2019-20 MIN 4 1 4 5 0 2 9 3 1.25
2020-21 MTL 21 2 6 8 -2 6 21 17 0.38
2022-23 FLA 21 2 3 5 -4 12 14 14 0.24
8 seasons Playoffs 104 25 39 64 -20 38 237 108 0.62

2016-17 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 28 37 65 17 34 211 42 0.79 13.3 18:36

Contract

$3.5MCap hit2016-17
$54KCap dollars per point65 points in 82 games
$377KCap dollars per goal above replacement9.3 goals above replacement
$6.5MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$3MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 664 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2022-23 to 2022-23 $750K
2020-21 to 2020-21 $3.25M
2019-20 to 2020-21 $3.25M
2016-17 to 2018-19 $3.5M
2012-13 to 2015-16 $8.25M
2009-10 to 2015-16 $8.25M
2006-07 to 2008-09 $4.5M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2016-17 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2016-17 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+9.3Goals above replacement75th of 664 skaters, 55th of 435 forwards
+1.5Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+5.1Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 435 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+3.7 86th percentileEven-strength defence+0.6 62nd percentilePower play+0.2 74th percentilePenalty kill+0.3 85th percentilePenalties+0.2 46th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-50510152010-112012-132014-152016-172018-192020-21Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

51.4Corsi for %1107 attempts for, 1047 against
+2.9CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.3Expected goals for %48.8 expected for, 37.8 against
+1.6xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
51.4Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
55.1Goals for %54 for, 44 against
100.7PDO8.5% shooting + 92.3% saves
250Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 565 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Eric Staal · Charlie Coyle · Nino Niederreiter39330:4655.359.714-10
Eric Staal · Zach Parise · Charlie Coyle46292:3549.555.515-11
Jason Pominville · Eric Staal · Zach Parise1479:5657.763.73-5
Eric Staal · Zach Parise · Nino Niederreiter1063:3458.569.46-3

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

24Goalsnot counting empty-netters
21.5Expected goalsfrom 269 unblocked attempts
+2.5Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.84 expected goals per 60 minutes74th
Shot quality 8.0% chance per attempt64th
Finishing +2.5 goals above expected78thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 421 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

05101520Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Goals 24Expected 21.5

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 8, 2017 @ ARI W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 15:28
Apr 6, 2017 @ COL W 4-3 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 17:39
Apr 4, 2017 vs CAR W 5-3 0 2 2 3 0 2 0 18:07
Apr 2, 2017 vs COL W 5-2 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 15:58
Apr 1, 2017 @ NSH L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 17:45
Mar 30, 2017 vs OTT W 5-1 0 1 1 2 4 3 1 16:59
Mar 28, 2017 vs WSH L 4-5 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 4 2 22:10
Mar 26, 2017 @ DET L 2-3 (OT) 1 0 1 1 2 4 1 18:57
Mar 25, 2017 vs VAN L 2-4 1 0 1 0 0 3 2 18:52
Mar 23, 2017 vs PHI L 1-3 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 19:10
Mar 21, 2017 vs SJS W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 18:24
Mar 19, 2017 @ WPG L 4-5 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 17:36
Mar 18, 2017 vs NYR L 2-3 1 0 1 1 2 6 0 19:36
Mar 16, 2017 @ CAR L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 6 0 20:17
Mar 14, 2017 @ WSH L 2-4 1 0 1 -2 2 4 0 19:49
Mar 12, 2017 @ CHI L 2-4 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 18:26
Mar 10, 2017 @ FLA W 7-4 2 1 3 2 0 3 0 17:23
Mar 9, 2017 @ TBL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 16:57
Mar 7, 2017 vs STL L 1-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 17:55
Mar 5, 2017 vs SJS W 3-1 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 18:03
Mar 2, 2017 @ CBJ L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 19:05
Feb 28, 2017 @ WPG W 6-5 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 17:22
Feb 27, 2017 vs LAK W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 15:36
Feb 21, 2017 vs CHI L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 17:28
Feb 18, 2017 vs NSH W 5-2 1 0 1 1 0 5 0 17:25
Feb 16, 2017 vs DAL W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 17:26
Feb 14, 2017 vs ANA L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 19:55
Feb 12, 2017 vs DET W 6-3 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 17:36
Feb 10, 2017 vs TBL W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 18:09
Feb 8, 2017 vs CHI L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 18:44
Feb 7, 2017 @ WPG W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:43
Feb 4, 2017 @ VAN W 6-3 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 18:40
Feb 1, 2017 @ CGY L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 16:12
Jan 31, 2017 @ EDM W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16:42
Jan 26, 2017 vs STL W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 13:44
Jan 24, 2017 @ DAL W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 19:47
Jan 22, 2017 vs NSH L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 21:01
Jan 21, 2017 vs ANA W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 19:13
Jan 19, 2017 vs ARI W 4-3 1 0 1 -1 0 4 0 15:52
Jan 17, 2017 vs NJD L 3-4 0 0 0 -3 0 3 1 17:55
Jan 15, 2017 @ CHI W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 20:35
Jan 14, 2017 @ DAL W 5-4 1 0 1 1 2 2 1 18:11
Jan 12, 2017 vs MTL W 7-1 1 2 3 2 0 1 0 15:24
Jan 8, 2017 @ ANA W 2-1 0 1 1 0 0 8 0 18:35
Jan 7, 2017 @ LAK L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 2 1 2 18:49
Jan 5, 2017 @ SJS W 5-4 2 1 3 1 0 2 0 18:30
Dec 31, 2016 vs CBJ L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 18:53
Dec 29, 2016 vs NYI W 6-4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 18:09
Dec 27, 2016 @ NSH W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 19:37
Dec 23, 2016 @ NYR W 7-4 0 2 2 -1 2 1 0 18:17
Dec 22, 2016 @ MTL W 4-2 1 0 1 2 0 2 2 23:08
Dec 20, 2016 vs COL W 2-0 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 19:03
Dec 17, 2016 vs ARI W 4-1 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 19:46
Dec 15, 2016 @ NSH W 5-2 2 0 2 2 2 3 0 16:37
Dec 13, 2016 vs FLA W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 16:40
Dec 11, 2016 vs STL W 3-1 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 20:04
Dec 9, 2016 vs EDM W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 20:57
Dec 7, 2016 @ TOR W 3-2 1 0 1 1 2 2 0 18:53
Dec 4, 2016 @ EDM W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 20:05
Dec 2, 2016 @ CGY L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 20:12
Nov 29, 2016 @ VAN L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 0 5 1 20:39
Nov 26, 2016 @ STL L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 17:59
Nov 25, 2016 vs PIT W 6-2 0 1 1 1 0 5 0 18:13
Nov 23, 2016 vs WPG W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 19:27
Nov 21, 2016 @ DAL L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 20:58
Nov 19, 2016 vs COL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 19:26
Nov 17, 2016 vs BOS W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 17:40
Nov 15, 2016 vs CGY L 0-1 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 18:08
Nov 13, 2016 @ OTT W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 6 0 18:53
Nov 12, 2016 @ PHI L 2-3 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 21:12
Nov 10, 2016 @ PIT W 4-2 1 2 3 3 0 6 0 21:09
Nov 5, 2016 @ COL L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 20:05
Nov 1, 2016 vs BUF L 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 3 3 20:13
Oct 29, 2016 vs DAL W 4-0 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 19:20
Oct 27, 2016 @ BUF W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 18:11
Oct 25, 2016 @ BOS W 5-0 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 21:19
Oct 23, 2016 @ NYI L 3-6 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 17:26
Oct 22, 2016 @ NJD L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 19:32
Oct 20, 2016 vs TOR W 3-2 2 0 2 2 0 5 0 18:10
Oct 18, 2016 vs LAK W 6-3 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 16:52
Oct 15, 2016 vs WPG W 4-3 1 0 1 0 0 3 3 19:12
Oct 13, 2016 @ STL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 19:13