Report: Eric Staal open to trade, Oilers among possible options

Buffalo Sabres forward Eric Staal has indicated he's open to being traded to a contender, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

The Edmonton Oilers are one club possibly interested in adding the veteran, LeBrun adds.

"I'm told that he (Staal) would be open to a deal to a contender. He has a partial no-trade, 10 teams on it, but for the right team he would certainly go," LeBrun said.

"Keep an eye on Edmonton," he continued. "The Oilers would have to be dollar in, dollar out - they're right at the cap, they're in LTIR, but they are looking to upgrade their third line, and I'm told that Eric Staal is a name that has been mentioned internally by the Oilers brass."

The Sabres dealt Marcus Johansson to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Staal prior to this season. The pending unrestricted free agent carries a cap hit of $3.25 million.

Since arriving in Buffalo, Staal has recorded three goals and five assists over 23 games. The 36-year-old center strung together some productive seasons with the Wild in recent years, scoring 42 goals during the 2017-18 campaign, and finishing with 47 points over 66 games in 2019-20.

Buffalo is last in the league with a 6-14-3 record.