The Canes' Eric Staal will be opening on the wing tonight against the Flyers but said he had no complaints about the move.
Staal was shifted to the wing on Jussi Jokinen's line Wednesday during the loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Brandon Sutter took over as the top-line center and will center Ray Whitney and Tuomo Ruutu again tonight.
"It's a different situation for me," Staal said after today's morning skate. "It's an opportunity, nonetheless. Hopefully it can create some more offense and win some games and that's the biggest thing."
Staal noted that he did not take any faceoffs during the first two periods in the Canadiens game while at center. Then came the move to the wing.
"They just said. 'Switch it up in the third,'" Staal said. "We did pretty well. We created some opportunities. ... So we're going to go with it tonight and hopefully our line can play well."
Asked if he liked the move, Staal said, "It's a little bit of a change. I'm dealing with some other things (physically) ... but I'm willing to play wherever.
"Obviously, I just want to win, so whatever they've got for us, for me, whatever the coaching staff believes is going to help us win is what I'm going to do."
Is he upset with the move?
"No," he said. "I don't think this is going to be a permanent thing for me playing the wing. For right now it's what we're doing and I'll be ready to play."
Canes coach Paul Maurice said the move would enable Staal to "be more aggressive in the offensive zone and take some pressure off."
"We've always felt we a bunch of center icemen we could move around. With our production being what it is, we just felt we could move him around. And the other part is giving Sutter a different style of player to play with to see what he can do."
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
It was
Sun, 12/27/2009 - 05:23 — esteban1949suggested by John Forslund during the game last night that stall very well my be fighting an injury...so and unless he or Mo "fesses" up...all we can do is speculate!
The Canes are Good,My Grandkids are Better, and Life is Great !!
Go Canes !!
It's about time
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 11:42 — HockeydogStaal was moved to wing !! Lavi's run and gun could leave Leighton facing a lot of shots tonight, assuming the Canes can play it smart and take what Lavi's style gives them. One of the teams fanbase will be pretty unhappy with their coach after the game. Or should I say the grumbling will intensify, especially if the Canes get run outta town on a rail. Then the Mo haters will draw comparisons and long for Laviolette. Well folk Lavi has some firepower on his bench and so far - no good. Lot's of story lines in this one. returning coaches, goalies, two teams playing under expectations, etc.
Staal on the Wing
Sat, 12/26/2009 - 11:32 — abramsdougI think Staal is continuing to fight injuries; and I think he has a groin injury based on his laboring to accelerate when skating. In any event, there is every reason in a season such as this disastrous one to experiment with an eye toward the future. Staal could well be that scoring power forward the Hurricanes need to go along with Ruutu (and Cole when he returns). The Hurricanes have an abundance of talent at center; but they need more speed and size at forward, and particularly the wing. Certainly, when Tlusty and Boychuk are ready to play for the Hurricanes (and when cap space and spots are available), the speed and skill component will be enhanced.
This game carries more significance than one might think given the conference standings for both teams. I wonder how loud the calls will be for Maurice to be fired, if the Hurricanes get stomped. On the other hand, if Laviolette's run, run, and gun style leads to a beatdown by the lowly the Hurricanes, then Philadelphia's fans will also be unmerciful. It is one of the those games where at the game's conclusion one coach or the other will lay bleeding in the dust; and if it is a Cam Ward v. Leighton show down, one could say the same for the goalies.