Staal played 32 games for the Sabres during the 2020-21 season. He will report to Adams, who will be back for a sixth season as GM.

Staal is reunited with Adams, who were teammates on the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup-winning team. And he played 32 games for the Sabres in 2021 before being traded to Montreal.

"As I looked for ways to enhance our existing staff, I wanted to add somebody to our group that has a fresh perspective and the direct experience of winning at all levels of hockey," Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said in a news release.