http://www.capgeek.com/buyout-calculator/?player_id=518&buyout_y=2014&buyout_m=06&buyout_d=15
A budget team like Carolina is not going to spend $12.5 mil to have someone not play for them, especially considering E. Staal is the face of the franchise and a sub-30 #1C who still puts up good numbers. If the Canes couldn't find a taker for his entire contract, they could retain a portion of his cap hit/salary like they did with Jokinen, Welsh and Ruutu to facilitate a trade. The idea of getting a player of Eric Staal's caliber without having to give up anything in return I'm sure is nice to think about. However, it's just not realistic.
A budget team like Carolina is not going to spend $12.5 mil to have someone not play for them, especially considering E. Staal is the face of the franchise and a sub-30 #1C who still puts up good numbers. If the Canes couldn't find a taker for his entire contract, they could retain a portion of his cap hit/salary like they did with Jokinen, Welsh and Ruutu to facilitate a trade. The idea of getting a player of Eric Staal's caliber without having to give up anything in return I'm sure is nice to think about. However, it's just not realistic.