National Hockey League (NHL) Players with most responsibility in the Eastern Conference -Part 3
Eric Staal (Centre, Carolina Hurricanes)
Eric Staal is truly a very talented and capable captain when it comes to guiding his team, which at times can go off track and become unaware of the fact that the National Hockey League (NHL) is an extremely competitive sport which requires giving it all
you have got every night.
Drafted as the second overall pick during round-one of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by Carolina Hurricanes, Eric Staal has remained with the franchise ever since and has led them to new heights, something which they did see before his arrival.
The 26-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, scored an amazing 100 points (45 goals, 55 assists) in only his second season by playing all 82 games and led Carolina to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, which is truly unprecedented.
The main questioning point is not his ability or potential to reach that feat again, but the matter of the fact is that why has he been declining ever since. It has easily been six years since that last performance and fans have just sat back awaiting his
burst of performance again but it has not happened.
Last year, Staal showed some growth performance wise by scoring 76 points (33 goals, 43 assists) in 81 games, but so far, it is still hard to tell whether next season will be something special for Carolina Hurricanes or not.
Stephen Weiss (Centre, Florida Panthers)
Stephen Weiss, a former fourth overall pick during round-one of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by Florida Panthers, he has become everything the team has been relying on ever since his induction.
The 28-year-old has basically taken the Florida franchise into his hands and currently has the power to do anything with it. He might be a high time scorer for the team and lead them with last year’s 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists) in 76 games, but it is
the franchises 11th consecutive season going without a playoff appearance.
If the Florida franchise hopes to go anywhere in the upcoming and following seasons, Stephen Weiss has a huge responsibility on his shoulders, and that is to guide the younger players while improving himself at the same time.
To be continued in part 4...
(The views expressed by the writer are his own and do not reflect the editorial policy of www.bettor.com)
Tags: