Carolina, Phoenix Trade Update: The Staals Reunited

Jared Staal, prospect of the Phoenix Coyotes organization, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday afternoon for a fifth round draft pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft. Although there were very high expectations for the former second round draft pick in 2008, he has been taking a lot more time to progress than his three older brothers.

Most people are familiar with the story of the Staals and their ever so famous outdoor rink. When all four of the Staals were growing up their father, Henry Staal, would make an outdoor rink for them during the winter. This story had become famous when all the Staals had started playing junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League and then were drafted into the NHL with eldest brother Eric leading the way. He was later followed by Marc, then Jordan, and last but not least Jared.

Eric Staal was drafted second overall in 2003 by the Carolina Hurricanes and made the jump to the NHL the very next season. He has since become the face of that franchise winning a Stanley Cup with them in 2006 and also winning an Olympic Gold Medal in Vancouver this past winter.

Next to follow was second eldest Marc. He was drafted 12th overall in 2005 by the New York Rangers, a draft that will forever be known as the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes. Unlike brother Eric, Marc played two extra seasons with the Sudbury Wolves having two outstanding years. Although his Sudbury Wolves came up just short for the OHL championship, losing to the Plymouth Whalers in 2007, Marc was named the MVP of the playoffs. His success was not just confined to there. He was also a part of the 2006 and 2007 Canadian World Junior Championships winning his two straight gold medals at the tournament. He has since played three seasons with the New York Rangers and has only been getting better. He could be the Rangers key defenseman for years to come.

The third Staal to enter the league was Jordan. He was the second Staal to be drafted second overall when the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him in 2006 making him and Eric some of the highest drafted brothers in NHL history. Just like his eldest brother, Jordan made the jump straight to the NHL with Pittsburgh Penguins having an automatic impact.

Known primarily for his defensive and penalty killing abilities he was a crucial part of the Penguins 47 point improvement from the prior season leading the league with six shorthanded goals while also tallying 29 goals and being nominated for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, an award he eventually lost to teammate Evgeni Malkin. Staal has since made it to two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals and became the second Staal in the family to win a Stanley Cup in 2009.

This leaves the youngest of the Staals, Jared. With all the success that his older brothers were having in the NHL, there were a lot of high expectations on young Jared. With so much pressure it was hard for him to try and live up to the family name and his play had began to slip. Once rated a first round draft pick in 2007, Jared slipped to 49th overall while having a very inconsistent season.

While he may have been inconsistent at times, he did show signs of the raw talent that once made him a top prospect. All he needs is a push in the right direction and he can be a dominant player in the NHL.

Like his brothers he has been blessed with good size. It may be surprising but standing at 6' 3" and 198 pounds, he is the smallest of the Staal's. Eric is 6' 3" and 200 pounds, Marc is 6' 4" and 209 pounds, and Jordan is 6' 4" and 215 pounds.

I'm going to make a bold prediction and say that the Hurricanes have definitely won this trade. By acquiring Jared, he will be united with his eldest brother Eric. With the amount of competition that there is among all the brothers I think that this move will only benefit Jared later on in his career.

Eric has a lot of experience and advice to give his little brother and is the best of all the brothers. He will be able to get his little brother on the right track and make him a potential threat in the NHL.

Last summer Jared trained with all his brothers trying to do as much as he could to keep up with them. Now that he has a good chance of playing alongside his brother, it may encourage him to train all the harder. It's not everyday that a prospect gets three NHL stars as his personal trainers. This gives him a huge edge on all other prospects.

Jared has yet to play a single game in the NHL. Teams have learned to never underestimate the Staals ever since they started populating the league. If one Staal is hard to handle to for most teams, imagine two....potentially on the same line. Of course nothing is set in stone and Jared still has a lot of developing to do, but you can expect Eric to push his little brother to his limits to help him crack the Hurricanes lineup.

If Jared can keep improving, he could prove to be a solid winger for the Hurricanes down the road and could have found themselves a solid duo who could prove to be very difficult to stop. Both Jared and Eric have great size and whereas Eric is a goal scorer, Jared is a grinder who works along the boards and has good vision: They complement each others strengths.  They may not have some weird twin connection like the Sedins, but they should be able to make something work.

I don't think that Jared will make it to the NHL next season but when he does, watch out for these two brothers to light up the lamp.