Jordan Staal reportedly refuses to sign contract extension with Pittsburgh Penguins -NHL offseason Update
In a rather surprising turn of events, top notch centre player, Jordan Staal, has reportedly refused to re-sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins for a contract extension according to unconfirmed reports that emerged on Thursday, June 21, 2012.
Staal’s current four-year contract worth $16 million will make him an unrestricted free agent by the end of the 2012-2013 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season and by the way things seem to develop, the 23-year-old might possibly demand a trade later
on in the offseason.
Talking to ESPN.com, it is believed that Staal’s agent, Paul Krepelka, termed his client not to be ready to get into long term discussions with the team, hinting at possibly looking at other offers around the league.
"He is not prepared to enter into a contract extension at this time," Krepelka said Thursday.
For Pittsburgh Penguins’ general manager, Ray Shero, Jordan Staal is a player he will not let go of in any case. He was talking to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review earlier this week.
"People read the newspapers and so maybe they think he's available," Shero said. "That stuff is all speculation. I have made it clear to every team that has asked. I don't want to trade Jordan. I'm not listening to offers. I want Jordan here. I want him
here for a long time, and that's what I'm going to try to do."
Drafted as the second overall player during round-one of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by Pittsburgh Penguins, the Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada native, has played six seasons with his original draft team up until now and has playoff experience in each one.
In 431 career games played, Staal has 248 points (120 goals, 128 assists) for an accumulated plus-minus rating of 53. He has only been in the negative once during his career back in his second season in the NHL during 2007-2008.
According to another number of reports dealing with where Jordan Staal could possibly be next, Carolina Hurricanes were seen to be the top team dealing for the superstar Pittsburgh Penguins forward.
Updates can be expected on the situation in the upcoming weeks.
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