Eric Staal signs PTO with Iowa Wild in preparation for Olympics
NHL veteran Eric Staal signed a professional tryout contract with the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild announced Thursday.
The 37-year-old Staal plans to see where he's at physically with Iowa in hopes of playing for Team Canada at the Beijing Olympics, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.
NHL players won't compete in the international tournament this year due to COVID-19 issues.
Staal, who was an unrestricted free agent, spent four seasons with Minnesota from 2016-20. He last played for the Montreal Canadiens during their Stanley Cup Final run, registering eight points in 21 games while averaging 11:31 of ice time per contest.
The forward has represented Canada at the Olympic Games before, winning a gold medal in 2010 in Vancouver.
Staal hasn't played in an AHL game since 2005 when he put up 77 points in 77 contests for the now-defunct Lowell Lock Monsters. He's set to play Friday when Iowa squares off against the Chicago Wolves, per Russo.
The Ontario native was drafted second overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2003. He has 441 goals and 593 assists in 1,293 career NHL games.