New York Rangers: Does Marc Staal’s inability to adapt signify an end?

Where it’s Staal gone wrong

The Rangers, now more so than ever before, play a fast game. They are at their best when they generate opportunities started due to turnovers on the defensive end.

This means that defensemen are constantly involved in offensive rushes, something that was not always the case in the past.

Staal has never been known for his point scoring ability. However, his numbers in some of his strongest areas have been dismal in the last three years.

It is likely that this drop in Staals numbers come as a result of the Rangers getting more and more comfortable with the change in the defensive style. Yet, Staal seems to struggle to fit.

Often, in an attempt to force turnovers, Staal gets caught behind and out of position. Because of this, he cannot use his body or his stick to defend and ends up defaulting into panic mode (attempting to block pucks by diving on the ice).

Staal has recorded some of the lowest Corsi For (CF%) numbers of his career. Corsi helps determine how well a player can help to drive possession. More time with the puck inevitably means more chances on net.

Staal has recorded CF% of 46.7, 44.8 and 46.6, respectively, in the last three years.

In addition, Staal had some of the worst numbers when it came to exiting the zone during the 2016-17 postseason.

Getting the puck out of the defensive end and up ice directly correlates to how many chances the Rangers get on net. Successfully exiting the zone only 35% of the time, Staal had the lowest number of any Rangers defenseman.

Because Staal has struggled in two areas, it begs the question as to how he could be used effectively.