from Chip Alexander of the News & Observer,

Staal skated and stick-handled. He shot the puck, played some two-on-two and had a few laughs with the guys.

If you didn't know Staal had suffered a major knee injury in May, after taking a dangerous knee-on-knee hit, you would have thought it was just another day at the rink for the Canes captain.

Staal didn't wear a knee brace or any tape. Nor, he said, has he had any setbacks during his physical rehabilitation.

"It felt good," he said of the knee after the on-ice work. "It has been no issue here the last little while. It's good to be back and it felt strong. I feel good."

Staal was pretty angry after the injury. Competing for Canada in the IIHF World Championship in Sweden, he was hit on the right knee by Swedish defenseman Alex Edler, who plays in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks.

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