Blue Line Station
Fansided

New York Rangers: Just how bad is Marc Staal?

By Nicholas Zararis

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: New York Rangers Defenceman Marc Staal (18) carries the puck in the first period during the game between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers on April 07, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: New York Rangers Defenceman Marc Staal (18) carries the puck in the first period during the game between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers on April 07, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 7: Marc Methot #33 of the Dallas Stars skates after the puck during a game against the Los Angeles Kings at STAPLES Center on April 7, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 7: Marc Methot #33 of the Dallas Stars skates after the puck during a game against the Los Angeles Kings at STAPLES Center on April 7, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Marc Methot

The Dallas Stars are cornering the market on mediocre to outright bad defenseman that are too slow for today’s game. This past season Dallas dressed Marc Methot for 36 games before the injury bug hindered his ability to stay in the lineup. In those 36 games the former Ottawa Senator posted just three points and 77 hits.

Using advanced stats, it is clear the Methot spent a large amount of time chasing down the puck instead of driving possession. In theory, a hit is a net positive play because it is in an attempt to regain control of the puck. However, if a player is racking up more than two hits per game, that means they don’t have the puck and are not helping generate offense. Methot posted a CF% of 47.5, with a Corsi relative of -4.7%. The relative stat should be the more concerning of the two being that it is such a sharp drop off.

The defenseman is in the final year of a four year deal worth $4.9 million per season. That figure relative to Methot’s production is a steep overpay, just like Staal’s deal. There are replacement level players that can be signed at a far lower figure.

Methot’s struggles in every facet of the game will hold the Stars back this season if he can remain healthy enough to stay in the lineup. The defenseman played 17:53 per night and 58.2% of the time in the defensive zone which is a tough assignment. However, as his zone entry and exit numbers prove, he was unable to help his team transition to offense.

Why franchises don't ever get out of a rebuild. dark. Next

Staal belongs in this tier of defenseman that are simply too old to be effective as they once were. Defenseman that relied on their physical ability to make plays simply cannot sustain that style of play once they hit age 30. Staal is a true liability on the ice, but, he could be theoretically be worse.

Home/Analysis