Marc Staal

Marc Staal traded to Detroit for future considerations

Posted on by Adam Rotter in Marc Staal

The Rangers have traded Marc Staal AND a 2021 Second Round pick to Detroit in exchange for “future considerations.”

From the Rangers:

  • John Davidson: “Marc Staal has been an exemplary hockey player, teammate, and person from the moment he joined the New York Rangers organization. A consummate professional, Marc’s perseverance and dedication to the game made him such an integral part of our organization. Marc, his wife Lindsay, and his children Anna, Emily, and Jack will always be a part of the Rangers family, and we wish them all the best going forward.”
  • Jeff Gorton: “I would like to thank Marc for everything he has given to the New York Rangers during his 13 seasons with the team. The success we had throughout Marc’s tenure, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, would not have been possible without his tireless efforts on and off the ice. The respect we have for Marc is immeasurable, and we wish him and his family all the best.”
  • Staal served as one of the Rangers’ alternate captains for 10 seasons (2010-11 – 2019-20).
    • Since the Rangers/NHL began to have players wear an ‘A’ on their jersey as an alternate captain during the 1985-86 season (after not doing so for approximately a decade), he was one of only three players who have either worn a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ as captain or an alternate captain with the Rangers for 10 or more seasons.
    • The only other two Rangers who have done so over the span are Brian Leetch (13 seasons – alternate captain from 1991-92 – 1996-97; 2000-01 – 2003-04, and captain from 1997-98 – 1999-00) and Mark Messier (10 seasons – captain from 1991-92 – 1996-97; 2000-01 – 2003-04).
  • Staal skated in 892 career games with the Rangers over 13 seasons (2007-08 – 2019-20), registering 43 goals and 145 assists for 188 points, along with a plus-46 rating and 432 penalty minutes.
    • He ranks sixth on the franchise’s all-time games played list, trailing only Harry Howell (1,160), Brian Leetch (1,129), Rod Gilbert (1,065), Ron Greschner (981), and Walt Tkaczuk (945).
    • Staal played in 471 games which the Rangers won throughout his tenure, which is the third-most for any player in franchise history; the only players who appeared in more games which the Rangers won are Leetch (515) and Gilbert (487).
    • Staal appeared in a game in three different decades with the Rangers (2000’s, 2010’s, 2020’s), and he is one of seven players in franchise history who have appeared in a game with the Rangers in three different decades, along with Frank Boucher (1920’s, 1930’s, 1940’s), Tkaczuk (1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s), Greschner (1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s), Leetch (1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s), Mike Richter (1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s), and Henrik Lundqvist (2000’s, 2010’s, and 2020’s).
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Staal had one-year left on his contract with a cap hit of $5.7 million and waived his no-move clause to agree to the trade.

The Rangers are now slated to have just over $20 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly.

Adam Rotter: It’s a pure salary dump for the Rangers and it cost them a second-round pick to do it. I expected Staal to be with the Rangers this season and would have guessed Brendan Smith would have been the player they attached a “sweetener” to move. The Rangers clearly preferred giving up the pick to buying him out and only clearing part of his cap hit for this year and adding extra money next year. The fact that they only received “future considerations” only furthers the notion that this was all about clearing out Staal’s cap hit and roster spot. Without Staal the Rangers lose their second-longest tenured player, one of their last links to the prior era of Rangers hockey and a big presence in their locker room. It also opens up a spot on the left side and a clearer path for Libor Hajek or K’Andre Miller. Tony DeAngelo could shift to the left side as well and his new contract would likely take much of their newly free cap space. The future considerations part of this deal will likely be a low level prospect that Detroit probably wasn’t going to sign, or maybe a 7th round pick.

Staal suited up 999 times, including playoffs, for the Rangers, was a constant on defense and a big part of why the Rangers had success under John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault. Ultimately though, Staal was robbed of being the player he looked like he was going to become by injury. First it was the concussion he suffered and played through that cost him the first half of the 2011-12 season and then eye injury the following year. He was an All-Star in 2010-11, right before the concussion, but never reached that kind of play again. He played in 70+ games, plus playoffs, from 2013-14 up until this past season, and logged a lot of minutes but was more of a steady presence than an impact player. He had an “A” on his jersey through three different coaches and his role as a leader and veteran presence will hopefully be felt for years to come through players like Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren. It’s the end of an era for the Rangers and, while it was going to happen after this season anyway, another link to the past gone. With Henrik Lundqvist likely on his way out as well, Chris Kreider will become the longest tenured Ranger and the last link to the Ranger teams that went deep into the playoffs and contended for Stanley Cups.