from Luke DeCock of the News & Observer,

Both Eric Staal and Ward need to be either re-signed or traded, because their contracts are up after next season. Jordan Staal is signed to a long-term contract but came here to play with his brother and may not want to stay without him. Skinner has three years left on his contract but is one of the Hurricanes’ most marketable assets.

Francis and Curran met Wednesday to discuss the group’s conjoined future, and no matter what happens it’s impossible to separate their fates. No part of this discussion can be conducted in isolation.

“Over the years, I’ve had a number of occasions where I was faced with similar situations, with five or six clients on a particular team and it’s just coincidental with the dates of their contracts being due,” Curran said. “When I’m dealing on behalf of a client, I’m very cautious and very concerned to focus on the individual client. But having said that, you have to step back and look at the big picture and recognize any decision one client might make has a net effect on what someone else might want to do.”

In each case, Francis is more willing to consider a blockbuster trade than he was a year ago when he was just taking over as general manager and wanted to see if a few tweaks could get the Hurricanes back into the playoffs. That failed, and drastic changes are more likely.

“From my standpoint, I would say I have more interest in doing that at this point,” Francis said. “How it plays out, it’s tough to tell.”

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