Staal over
A significant part of the Rangers’ recent past is now entirely in the past. Time marches on, so does the John Davidson-Jeff Gorton partnership in the front office and so does Marc Staal, on his way to Detroit after 13 years of meritorious service on Broadway.
The Blueshirts included a sweetener in the deal, sending their 2021 second-round pick to the Red Wings with Staal in exchange for the “future considerations.” Staal, whose 892 regularseason games rank sixth in franchise history, owned a modified no-trade clause on which Detroit was not listed as off-limits, The Post has learned.
The future return may be amorphous, but the immediate return is obvious in 5,700,000 ways, as in the $5.7 million of cap space the Rangers now have cleared for 2020-21. In conjunction with the anticipated buyout of Henrik Lundqvist (perhaps during the current window, which is open until Oct. 8), the club will have $23,091,867 of space entering the signing season.
That means the Blueshirts will have ample room to sign their arbitration-eligible restricted free agents Tony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Alex Georgiev and Brendan Lemieux, if so inclined. The added space perhaps creates a bumper zone that would allow an extension to pending unrestricted free agent Jesper Fast, if both sides are interested in reenlistment.
The trade of Staal, who made his debut with the 2007-08 opener after having been the club’s 12thoverall selection in the 2005 entry draft, opens up a spot on the blue line’s left side. The alternate captain had partnered essentially all season with DeAngelo on the third pair while Ryan
Lindgren played the left with Adam Fox and Brendan Smith finished the year as Jacob Trouba’s partner after Brady Skjei’s deadline day trade to the Hurricanes.
Libor Hajek, the 22-yearold who opened in New York and played 28 games in the NHL through a knee injury and subsequent assignment to the AHL Wolf Pack, would be highest on the depth chart to contend for Staal’s open spot. Hajek is on loan to HC Olomouck of the Cezch League, subject to recall at the start of the NHL training camp.
Staal, of course, has been a mainstay through the Rangers’ past four coaches.
He made his debut under Tom Renney, and had his best days under John Tortorella as Dan Girardi’s firstpair partner before suffering the memorable concussion-inducing hit delivered by his brother, Eric, at Carolina on Feb. 22, 2011. Marc Staal played through the remainder of that season, then missed the first half of 2011-12 with post-concussion syndrome, making his debut at the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia. But he was never quite the same.
Staal worked his way back from third-pair duty with Stu Bickel to a secondpair assignment with Anton Stralman. The following season, on March 5, 2013, he was struck around the right eye by a Jakub Voracek deflection of a Kimmo Timonen slap shot. Staal effectively lost the vision in his right eye, yet played a significant role in the run to the 2014 Stanley Cup finals under Alain Vigneault. Then, after a string of unprecedented healthy scratches under David Quinn this year, Staal steadied and provided the stay-at-home work that complemented DeAngelo.
Staal has been a hockey warrior, a particular irritant to Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin through all of the playoff duels. He has been hard on the puck and an exemplary teammate.
This has the feel of a move the Rangers made a long, long time ago. There was no cap back in the day, but the team needed to make room for youth on the blue line. So, after 17 years and an intact franchise record of 1,160 games wearing the Blueshirt, Harry Howell was sold to the Oakland Seals in June 1969.
There were players coming then and there will be players coming now. Hajek has a shot. K’Andre Miller will get a look. And the back end will have a new look. Time marches on. The Rangers have space.