Hurricanes center Eric Staal will earn an average of $8.25 million through the 2015-16, reminding us all that the players did OK in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Franchise-caliber forwards are signing spectacular lifetime deals. Staal’s contract came on the heels of Vincent Lecavalier’s extension.

The Blues are a long way from having that type of forward, but all this warns Dave Checketts and Co. to brace for the inevitable. Odds are, the Blues will develop or acquire a Top 10 forward during the next five years – and then the team will have to pay up.

By the way, Eric’s little brother Jordan is an interesting case. He could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Penguins have relegated him to the No. 3 center role, stunting his offensive growth.

If he moves up to play wing on one of the top two lines in Pittsburgh, he could have a breakout season and generate a LOT of excitement in the marketplace.

If the Pens keep him in a secondary role, he would be more inclined to sign an offer sheet with, say, the Hurricanes and bolt. Staal has the size and skills to get a huge payday based on potential.

He is the type of player the Blues should make a huge play on, should the opportunity arise. With the Pens paying Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin top dollar, something will have to give on this front.

THE BULGARIAN WOMEN NEED SOME HELP

As Tipsheet noted, Olympic qualifying didn’t go so well for the Bulgarian women. They suffered a series of lopsided losses, including an 82-0 loss to Slovakia. Here is a peek:

AROUND THE RINKS: Savvy Ottawa Sun scribe Bruce Garrioch ranks the Blues 23rd on his preseason power rankings, ahead of Western Conference rivals Los Angeles, Vancouver and Columbus. The Kings still have to add more than $9 million in payroll, so that club could still improve before the season opener. But the Canucks did little to improve (swapping out Markus Naslund for old friend Pavol Demitra) and the Blue Jackets must prove they can win without a true No. 1 or No. 2 center . . . Rough start for the top Blues prospects up in Traverse City. In the first game, Forwards T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo were all kept off the board and Ben Bishop allowed three goals in two periods. The Blues lost their second game, too, but got a goal from Berglund. We were reminded to watch defenseman Jonas Junland, winger Nikolai Lemtyugov and center Nicolas Drazenovic. Junland could help the Blues immediately and the other two could become prime candidates as the season progresses. The NHL Network replays are the game are fascinating, since John Davidson shares a lot of insight on the Blues’ kids . . . Predators wingers Alexander Radulov was just named rookie of the week in the Kontinental Hockey League. But word from the NHLPA is that Radulov wants to return to the NHL this season and end the standoff between the two leagues. He had a year left on his Nashville contract when he signed with a Russian team . . . Defenseman Bryan Berard insists he has recovered from the back and groin injuries that plagued him the last three seasons. He will go to camp with the already powerful Flyers on a tryout basis. Philly could use another power play guy to support Kimmo Timonen . . . The Maple Leafs are willing to take a beating this season while waiting for Ducks GM Brian Burke to become a free agent and superprospect John Tavares to become draft-eligible. Ditching defenseman Bryan McCabe was just another stop in that direction.