New York Rangers Stash or Trash: Eric Staal Edition
Stash or Trash will be a series of articles which are about the New York Rangers’ 2016 Unrestricted Free Agents, and whether the team will re-sign them to a new contract or let them walk away in free agency.
New York Rangers Season Review
On February 28th this year, the deal that was rumored to be in the making since December was finally made. Carolina Hurricanes’ captain Eric Staal was a New York Ranger at the expense of prospect Aleksi Saarela and two second-round picks. The deal was one that had the fan base split. One half of the fan base felt that the New York Rangers were getting a declining player who was not going to help the team’s biggest problem; defense. On top of that, this deal had the Rangers fork over a solid prospect and two fairly high drafts picks, two things that they have very few of. The other subsection of the fan base was ecstatic. They figured that this may be one of the last kicks at the can for this team, and that they might as well go all in.
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- These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly
- Filip Chytil Could Take Major Steps in the 2023-24 Season
- Looking forward to the upcoming season for Artemi Panarin
While Staal’s play in a Rangers uniform was extremely underwhelming, he wasn’t the reason for the team’s quick exit. Come playoff time, most of the team was struggling, especially on defense. This led to the team’s ultimate demise in a 5 game 1st round exit against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Staal put together only 6 points in 20 games with New York, while playing with different line mates for what seemed like pretty much every game.
Stats and Info
Age (entering next season): 31 (He will turn 32 at the end of October)
Seasons with NYR: ½ a season (1/4 if you want to get technical)
Previous Cap Hit: $8.25m ($4.75m with NYR)
Games Played: 83 (63 with CAR, 20 with NYR)
Goals: 13
Assists: 26
Points: 39
+/-: -2
PPP: 7
CF%: 55.0
FOP: 51.04
Projected Contract
3-4 years, $5 million annual- My guess is a team is going to look at Staal’s numbers from last year as more of a down year then the beginning of a decline. In 77 games he had 54 points in 2014-2015, so he isn’t too far removed from above average production. Team’s may think that being on a horrific Hurricanes team plus being misused by the New York Rangers were reasons for the dip in his production. Also his corsi for percentage was fantastic. Teams will see a guy who is a natural leader on and off the ice, and who can play both at center and on either wing.
What SHOULD Happen
I was of the belief that the Rangers never should have made the trade to acquire Staal to begin with. The deal reminded me somewhat of a trade an early 2000’s Rangers team would make, acquiring a former star past their prime. While a prospect and 2 picks isn’t nearly Duclair and a 1st, it still wasn’t good and will hurt the New York Rangers in the future.
The Rangers are in a massive cap crunch, having to re-sign RFAs Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller and Dylan McIlrath, along with—hopefully—re-signing defenseman Keith Yandle. Staal is a player who will get paid just because his name is what it is. There is no doubt that he will be making more than the $4.75 million that was accounted for on the Rangers’ salary cap. The team needs to cut their loses with the eldest Staal, and try to trade him for a late round pick before July 1st when he officially becomes a free agent.
What WILL Happen
The Rangers’ hands are being forced by the salary cap, and with the cap potentially going down, the Rangers can’t afford to give the past-his-prime Staal another contract, literally and figuratively. Staal hinted that he won’t be back for the 2016-2017 when he used words like “them” and “they” at the Rangers’ exit interviews. He knows that, unless he goes back to Carolina in free agency, he will be joining his third franchise this offseason.
Teams to Watch Out For
Next: New York Rangers Best, Worst & Undetermined Trades
Blues– The Blues’ captain David Backes will be an unrestricted free agent as well this offseason. It is being speculated that there is mutual interest in him returning to the team next year, but just in case, the team may try to go out and acquire a guy like Staal, who has cup winning experience, a good two-way game, and who brings a ton of leadership.
Islanders- The Islanders have a lot of key free agents this offseason, from Kyle Okposo to Frans Neilson, so there is plenty of reason to believe that they will have some key forwards spots to fill. The Islanders might want to bring in a guy like Staal for all the same reasons I suggested for the Blues. Also, Staal could also play on the wing, so even if Okposo does stay, they could have the option to put Staal on the other wing, making that a very dangerous line.
Others- Panthers, Maple Leafs, Hurricanes