"It took Eric Staal longer than usual to recover from last season.

The Carolina Hurricanes captain played through a painful groin injury down the stretch. That needed time to heal.

There also was that big blow to Staal's psyche -- a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the final game of the regular season. Getting that out of his system took time, too.

Win that last game, at home, and the Canes would have been in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Instead, it led to another long offseason of wondering what might have been.

"Obviously, it was a tough finish," Staal said Monday after an informal workout at Raleigh Center Ice. "You need to keep a little of that bitter taste, but also need to refresh and refocus for a new season, and with a new group, which we have.""