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"Right back to when all these Staal brothers were drafted, they said at some point in their career, they'd all like to play together," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. "This will be a real good fit for them. I think they can have some fun with this. These are guys that can dominate games, and so I think it all fits together for the two brothers and the family."
Another brother, defenseman Marc Staal, plays for the New York Rangers.
The Hurricanes entered the offseason hoping to pick up a top-shelf forward to complement Eric Staal, the team captain and unquestioned face of the franchise, either via a trade or free agency. Jordan Staal and Nash were the biggest names on the trade front. New Jersey's Zach Parise heads up the free-agent class that can begin talking to new teams on July 1.
Once Staal turned down a contract extension earlier this week to stay in Pittsburgh, speculation quickly picked up around the Hurricanes.
Rutherford said Penguins general manager Ray Shero called him at about 4:20 p.m. on Friday to say he probably would be moving Staal. He said the deal with Carolina was completed at 6:45 p.m., and it was announced moments before the Hurricanes were to make their first-round pick.
Rutherford said contract talks with Jordan Staal -- whose deal expires after the 2012-13 season -- will probably begin in early July.
The price Carolina had to pay for their third Staal was rather steep.
The 23-year-old Sutter, the Hurricanes' first-round pick in 2007, has 53 goals and 54 assists in parts of four promising NHL seasons. The durable son of former Calgary Flames coach Brent Sutter -- and a member of one of the sport's most famous families -- was fifth on the team with 17 goals this season. He hasn't missed a game since the 2009-10 season.
Dumoulin, 21, was taken by Carolina in the second round in 2009 and he helped Boston College win the Frozen Four in April before signing a three-year, entry-level contract. The Hurricanes gave up their only first-round pick, but they will pick nine times during rounds 2-7 on Saturday.
"No question, I really think a lot of Brandon as a person, and I think he's one of the best two-way centers in the league," Rutherford said. "That was a very tough part of this deal, to give him up, but when you're looking at acquiring an elite player, you usually end up giving something that you don't want to give.
"We gave three good pieces to Pittsburgh in order to get Jordan, but it's hard to find a Jordan Staal in the National Hockey League."
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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