Earlier this week, the New York Rangers traded Derick Brassard and a seventh round pick for Mika Zabanejad and a second round draft pick. This trade was a win in almost every category for the Rangers. They got a player who is six-years younger, bigger, and plays on the penalty kill. The Rangers also gained an early draft pick and freed up cap space.
If the Rangers are looking for even more cap flexibility, they may be able to get some by moving Marc Staal. In this article, we will cover some of the most likely options for moving Staal.
What To Do with Marc Staal
The reason Marc Staal should be moved in obvious, he is a shell of his former self. While his point production has not decreased much, it was never very high to begin with. He scored two goals and 15 points in 77 games this past season. However, the less known stats are where Staal really shows his decline. Since signing his six-year, $34.2 million dollar contract in 2014, his stats have decreased dramatically. Staal’s FF% last season was only 45.6% which means that other teams had the puck more while he was on ice. The only Ranger’s defensemen below him was Dan Girardi. This 45.6% ranked him 216th overall among defensemen last season.
This was accompanied by a two-year stint of CF% under 50% as well. The team seemed to under perform as well with Staal on the ice. With Staal on the ice, shots taken had a much lower percentage of going in the net compared to the league average at the same spot. His expected +/- was -10.1 which was yet again second to last compared to Dan Girardi. The only other time in his career that his totals were this low, was when he missed 36 games due to injury in 2011-12.
The Options
Now to make extra cap room, Jeff Gorton will have one more step before finally moving Staal. He must get Staal to waive his No-Move Clause. Before any trades can occur, Marc Staal must give up his No-Move-Clause. Staal could be bought out at the end of next season but the Rangers would be stuck with significant cap hits for the next eight seasons, including a nearly $3 million hit in 2019-20 and nearly $5.8 million in 2020-12. They also would not get anything in return. That would mean that the Rangers will have to trade him. While his value may not be very high, here are some options that the Rangers could bring in return.
Marc Staal to Carolina for Draft Picks
Because of how poor Staal has played lately, it makes it very hard to find suitable teams in which he would want to play for and that the Rangers would get a decent return for him. To add to this, if Staal is traded he will have control over where he goes. The Carolina Hurricanes are a good fit. As of now, the only defensemen guaranteed to make the lineup this fall over 25 is Ron Hainsey. The Hurricanes defense is young and could use some veteran help. Last season, the Hurricanes gave up the 13th most goals in the league.
While Ranger’s fans may not agree, it would please everyone involved. Staal would get to play with his brother Jordan Staal for the first time in his career. He would also get to reunite with former teammates Lee Stempniak and Victor Stalberg. While doing this, he would still be a leader on the team and role model for younger players. The Hurricanes could fit Staal in as they still have roughly $10 million in projected cap room right now.They also have six picks in the third round or later of the 2017 NHL Draft. The Rangers would also benefit because they would not have to waste an additional spot on Staal for the expansion draft next summer. This would also allow room for a young prospect to take a stab at the NHL.
Buy-Out Marc Staal
While it would be ideal to shop Marc Staal around, there are not many teams that can fit the criteria needed to take him. Of the 30 teams in the NHL, 13 NHL teams wouldn’t even be able to afford Marc Staal without dumping salary, and 14 others are awaiting arbitration for restricted free-agents.
The Edmonton Oilers and Carolina are the only two viable options as of now. Edmonton has very little reason to trade for Marc Staal. While the Oilers need help on the blue line, the fact that Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse are both left-handed defencemen, the Oilers are really looking to solidify the right side of their group. They started this process in trading for Adam Larsson. While some teams may be able to cut cap space during the season and trade a draft pick for Staal, as of now, the Rangers may be stuck with him to start the year.
The other option, of course, is to retain salary; or take back another contract in any Staal trade. This seems counter-productive to the overall goal of moving Staal to increase the team’s cap flexibility.
Buying out Marc Staal would certainly feel like a waste. His value may not be very high, but he still has the potential to have a few more solid seasons. But in a league where teams are forced to stay cap compliant, his current contract and poor recent play cut his value significantly. Rangers fans can only hope that Staal can turn a complete 180 from his past few seasons. The best move is to keep Marc Staal, at least for the immediate future.
