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Staal: Is He Worth a Long-Term Extension in New York?

July 31, 2014, 7:45 PM ET [494 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider and Derick Brassard all having had their free agent status for at least this resolved, the Rangers have taken care of three of the main keys this offseason. Of course, Zuccarello needs to be signed long-term, thought that can't be done, or really official, until January 1 and John Moore has to be signed, but the Rangers are likely done with their roster moves. Moving forward, the focus will shift to making calls on their restricted and unrestricted free agents, Zuccarello included, but on that list is Marc Staal, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin and Martin St. Louis. The one that seems to drive the most conversation and debate is Staal.

Not that long ago, though it appears that way even though he is just 27, Staal looked to be on his way to being the top defenseman in Gotham City. He was paired with Dan Girardi, logging heavy minutes on that top-pairing and his career was on the ascension. A concussion, as a result of a hit from his brother, Eric, derailed that rise, resulting in Ryan McDonagh assuming that role on the top-pairing in 2011, which likely will need to him getting named as the next Rangers captain.

Last year, Staal looked to be all the way back, before he was hit in the eye with a puck. Staal was able to return to action, but he looked like a shell of his former self, as he struggled with depth perception, physical play and speed of the game This season, the old Staal was finally on display. While he wasn't all the way back, he was pretty close to a reasonable facsimile of his 2010 self, despite a mild concussion that sidelined him.

The questions are: from a cap perspective can the Rangers afford what Staal might want and does he warrant that salary? In terms of the first question, my belief is yes. With the cap rising and since Staal has a $3.975 cap hit this year, with a $5.45 million salary, even a rise of $2 million per even with the other contracts needed to be doled or already doled out, my view is yes, that salary can be met. The better and more difficult question is does he warrant that salary?

If you are an advanced stat devotee, much has been made as to how Anton Stralman "carried" Staal, seen in Staal's drop of CF% of eight points. To those Rangers fan who watched Staal daily, that view is not widely held, regardless of what the numbers show. To us, Staal might have been aided by playing with Stralman and while the numbers may not support this, the view is Stralman was aided by playing Staal, regardless of vice versa. Staal had a CF% of 54.4, solid no matter which view you hold.

Blueshirt Banter ran a good column earlier this season comparing Staal's salary to a few comparable ones. Given some of the recent signings, the are a few names that can be added to the lost. While each one is not a one to one match and Gardiner/Greene are mild outliers due to their age, it gives you a sense as to what others in a similar age bracket are paid.

Dan Girardi, 29- six years at $5.5 million per, just signed
Tobias Enstrom, 28 - three more years years at $5.75 million per
Brent Seabrook, 28 - two more years at $5.8 million per
Mike Green, 28 - one more year at $6.083 million
Stralman, 27 - five years at $4.5 million per, just signed
Jake Gardiner, 24 - five years at $4.05 million per
Andy Greene, 31 - five years at $5 million per

At worst, Staal is a pretty good comparison to the above. In most cases, he is better defensively though lesser offensively, so that offset has to be factored in when determined what direction to go. If Girardi is worth $5.5 million per, it's kind of hard to argue that Staal is not as or more valuable.

Staal showed last year when he is healthy, he can be considered at worst a top-four or possibly a top-two defenseman again. In addition, he once again displayed a physical edge, which to me gives him a slight edge over Girardi and several others in the lineup. Staal's skating ability, high panic threshold and capacity to quickly go from offense to defense augments his value. One area he has gotten better in, which came about as he compensated for the eye injury, is his improved stick play, which was on display last year, as he broke up several rushes that way. Last, he balances out the lineup, giving New York someone who can step up to play on the top-two and provide quality minutes nightly, making the blue line one of the best in the league. If he goes, is Conor Allen, Mat Bodie, Brady Skjei, Dylan McIlrath and others really a reasonable replacement?

While timing is not critical, it is of the essence. If New York really wants Staal back, they can't do what they did with Girardi and wait until during the season to lock him up. With the comments below and the possible clarion call coming from Carolina to play with his brothers, Staal should be a priority now. When you add in what he could get in free agency as a 28-year old, assuming he is healthy again this year, waiting could cost New York.

"You can say all you want that it’s not on your mind and it’s not a distraction, but it’s something that has to weigh on you. For me, the contract situation is definitely something I would like to take care of over the summer. That’s the goal, but that also has to be the way management looks at it, too, in order to get it done."


If New York is going to sign Staal, work on it now. If not, then start exploring what they could bring back, but unless it was so substantial that it made sense, playing it out may make the most sense. That said, I would offer Staal a contract similar in years and terms to Girardi. I would like go five and 30 to lock him and possibly go to a sixth year if necessary. Staal has been a stalwart in New York and it would be prudent to lock him up and make him a career Blueshirt.
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