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

As the New York Rangers roster has grown and developed over the past few seasons, defenseman Marc Staal has seemed to fit less and less.

We have seen it occur with other Rangers defensemen — most evidently with Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein — and now it is important for the Rangers to determine how to handle playing Staal on a roster that he seems to struggle on.

However, it is also important to understand where his issues are coming from.

The shift in what the league values in defensemen is a contributing factor. The qualities that are considered best are areas in which Staal has struggled with in the last few seasons.

In addition to this, the Rangers have made changes to their game that Staal has simply not been able to adapt to.

Here, we break down how these factors led to the demise of Marc Staal and how he could be used effectively — preferably elsewhere.

A league-wide shift

The ability of NHL players and the quality of the game has increased across the board.

Because of this,  the league’s perception of what makes a defenseman valuable has changed. Where in the past, defensemen relied on their size and physicality to control play, higher valued defensemen today are quick, can move the puck and have the ability to play a two-way game.

When you think of some of the top defensive players in the league this year — Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, etc. —  all of them contain this ability to overpower opponents, regardless of where they are on the ice.

This shift in what is valued makes big bodied, stand-your-ground defensemen like Staal less effective.

The focus of these players has started to center on playing defense in the corners and stopping plays before they can occur. There is less man-on-man defense and more zone coverage. Rather than chasing the puck, the focus

Rather than chasing the puck, the focus is to try to cut off passing and shooting lanes and ultimately take chances away in front of the net. There is a level of calm and security that all of these players emit whether they be deep in the zone or playing from the blueline. Yes, they have size and are physical, and yes, they can be physical. However, the focus always remains on breaking up plays before they can occur.

Yes, they have size and are physical, and yes, they can be physical. However, the focus always remains on breaking up plays before they can occur.

It also seems to be another area that Marc Staal struggles to understand.

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.

How he could be effective

Despite all of this, it doesn’t mean that having Staal on the roster is a complete dead end. There are ways that he could be utilized that could make him effective.

Though Anthony DeAngelo has had his issues with playing responsible defense and shot suppression in his few years in the league, he is actually not a bad option for someone like Staal.

He has great offensive upside — he can skate, stickhandle and pass and, ultimately, helps drives play out of the defensive end. Through the preseason and in the Rangers first game against Colorado, DeAngelo played well.

Ideally, it would be even better to look to get him off the roster.

Because Dan Girardi was gobbled up by Tampa Bay just days after the Rangers bought out his contract, there is definitely a chance that teams would be interested in picking up a veteran defenseman like Staal.

Most important would have to be targeting a team that has the support that he needs. Ideally, someone who plays a strong forecheck and can help him complete plays that exit the zone.