Do you think the Rangers should re-sign Marc Staal long term?

[BobMarleyNYR]

Kadri is a good trade target, he is a better version of Brassard in the sense that he isn't an in and out player game to game, but Kadri is not a reliable center when it comes to defending.

Jake Gardiner and Mac Truck have a history, but Gardiner is a fly-by defender. Toronto can't defend, and a big part of that is their fly by defense corp.

Those two are available for a reason, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Gardiner would be this team's no 6 option ahead of JMoore.

That ship sailed though. We got our overpriced, 38-year-old, rushing D (can someone please explain why it's NOT an 35+ contract...?).

We signed Tanner Glass for $2486937390.

We let Stralman go. And we have RFAs to sign.

Unless we trade Staal AND Brassard OR Nash, there's no way to do this.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

That ship sailed though. We got our overpriced, 38-year-old, rushing D (can someone please explain why it's NOT an 35+ contract...?).

We signed Tanner Glass for $2486937390.

We let Stralman go. And we have RFAs to sign.

Unless we trade Staal AND Brassard OR Nash, there's no way to do this.

It is a 35+contract.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

He's absolutely worthless offensively. You need puck movers on D. We already have Girardi locked up as a stay at home D as well as McIlrath, Klein, Skjei. I'd try to move him.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

He's absolutely worthless offensively. You need puck movers on D. We already have Girardi locked up as a stay at home D as well as McIlrath, Klein, Skjei. I'd try to move him.

It will take a few years, but there is no question in my mind that Skjei has offense that will develop.

That said, I'm firmly on-board with trading Staal, due to his lack of offense as well as the need to shore up other areas and, of course, his contractual status.

 

[haveandare]

I still haven't seen one lineup without him that looks like a d capable of competing with the best teams, let alone some just alright teams.

Lots of people fantasizing about losing him - nobody talking about who is actually going to replace him - in reality, not NCAA players who were suddenly high on based on some positive reports.

 

[LGRDunDunDunDunDa]

It depends on what he wants...
6 years- 25 Million-OK, but anything over that Trade him.
Also has to accept a modified/limited NTC for final 4 years.
so I could see...
2016-5 Million
2017-5 Million
2018-4 Million
2019-4 Million
2020-3.5 Million
2021-3.5 Million
but I think he's looking for 6 years 34 Million
2015-6 Million
2016-5.5 Million
2017-5.5 Million
2018-5 Million
2019-5 Million
2020-4 Million
2021-3 Million
sorry no Deal!

 

[Raspewtin]

I still haven't seen one lineup without him that looks like a d capable of competing with the best teams, let alone some just alright teams.

Lots of people fantasizing about losing him - nobody talking about who is actually going to replace him - in reality, not NCAA players who were suddenly high on based on some positive reports.

Why should we overpay for Staal just so the lineup doesn't look worse?

We might be in win-now mode, but it's not like 2LD is anything close to impossible to replace.

 

[haveandare]

Why should we overpay for Staal just so the lineup doesn't look worse?

We might be in win-now mode, but it's not like 2LD is anything close to impossible to replace.

Because

a) It's not an overpayment. Notice how literally every deal makes people cry overpayment? It's because "overpayment" a few years ago isn't overpayment today. He's right on the level with Girardi, if not better. G plays the right side to be matched with McD and Staal doesn't. That's why he's a second pairing player. He will get roughly the same deal, and it won't be an overpayment.

b) The lineup would be way, way worse. To the extent that we're effectively wasting the rest of MSL and much of Hank. So, throw out how many years of team building over what? Not wanting to shell out a million or so extra to sign Staal? Potentially having to put in a little extra thought into how to make room for rookies if and when they prove their abilities? Not worth it at all.

c) If he's so easy to replace, why can't anyone come up with a plan to replace him? The only things we've heard are that Allen can take his spot next year because people say so and that Skjei can take his spot in two years even though he's not a sure thing to jump right into the NHL at all, let alone jump right on to the second pair. If it's not "anything close to impossible" to replace him - let's hear some ideas. Who can step into that spot and how do you get them given what assets the Rangers have right now? And the thing is - it's easier to get a 2LD than it is to get a 2LD on Staal's level. People are blinded by a bad game here or there, but having guys on the level of Staal and Stralman on the second pair saved this team from elimination numerous times this year alone. Getting just any 2LD weakens to team more than it already is by losing Stralman. The team just made the finals largely based on D depth, and now we want to lose the entire second pair for what? Cap space? To do what?

 

[broadwayblue]

It depends on what he wants...
6 years- 25 Million-OK, but anything over that Trade him.
Also has to accept a modified/limited NTC for final 4 years.
so I could see...
2016-5 Million
2017-5 Million
2018-4 Million
2019-4 Million
2020-3.5 Million
2021-3.5 Million
but I think he's looking for 6 years 34 Million
2015-6 Million
2016-5.5 Million
2017-5.5 Million
2018-5 Million
2019-5 Million
2020-4 Million
2021-3 Million
sorry no Deal!

He's clearly not signing for 6/25 when he's worth more than 5/25. The rangers will certainly offer him at least the latter...and probably more.

 

[BobMarleyNYR]

It is a 35+contract.

So what's his base #?

 

[Nash Money]

He's making 12M/year for three years, 11M/year for 2 after that, and then 10M, 9M, 9.6M and then 9M. How much less did he take?

He has an 8.7 AAV due to a few years at 3m tacked on at the end. He easily could have asked for and gotten 10+m AAV. Imagine Hank took 7 and we had an extra 1.5 to play with. Now, he was under no obligation to, but I wish he did. Also wish Nash either played like 7.8 or made the 6-6.5 level he's probably playing at.

 

[broadwayblue]

He has an 8.7 AAV due to a few years at 3m tacked on at the end. He easily could have asked for and gotten 10+m AAV. Imagine Hank took 7 and we had an extra 1.5 to play with. Now, he was under no obligation to, but I wish he did. Also wish Nash either played like 7.8 or made the 6-6.5 level he's probably playing at.

Crosby's contract is illegal under the new CBA...you can't go from 9M to 3M anymore. So Hank couldn't agree to a deal like that even if he wanted to.

 

[Mikos87]

That ship sailed though. We got our overpriced, 38-year-old, rushing D (can someone please explain why it's NOT an 35+ contract...?).

We signed Tanner Glass for $2486937390.

We let Stralman go. And we have RFAs to sign.

Unless we trade Staal AND Brassard OR Nash, there's no way to do this.

Can't see I view Kadri as a winning top 6 center, but more of a pure point producer, I don't think winning teams can afford to have center ice man that can't play in all 3 zones.

Not a fan of Gardiner other than his skating. Kid has Brian Boytano like acceleration with a Brian Boytano like defensive acumen, a turnstyle.

I'd trade Staal for an Alzner or Muzzin plus an asset to not downgrade on that much on the asset and gain cap space plus a premium. I can't say I'm in the trendy trade Staal camp.

Brassard however, I would move to try and upgrade at the center slot for a proven top 6 two way center, or a no 1. Don't think that will happen once he gets his contract. He deserves a look see to see if can indeed be a reliable top 6 center on a winning team. My gut says no given what he's shown and the players he's played against. The Rangers will either be content to take a step back next year, or make moves at the deadline depending on how Miller and Brassard hold up.

My instincts are that one of Miller/Brassard get packaged with JMoore for an available top 6 center if the former two can't handle the 2 & 3 slot in the middle.

 

[Mikos87]

I think The rangers system and a change of scenery for both Kadri and Gardiner would do them good. Both those players are 24 and under which would be good to add for the Rangers.

Kadri I can see simply because he's a point producer from the middle. It's hard to deny that, even though I would never line up Kadri against higher qual comp.

Gardiner is a pretty skater, and his nerd stats are better than his defense corps terrible possession stats, but he isn't going to crack the Rangers top 4 to make it better. He can skate the puck out of trouble, create odd man rushes, but can he defend?

 

[Raspewtin]

Because

a) It's not an overpayment. Notice how literally every deal makes people cry overpayment? It's because "overpayment" a few years ago isn't overpayment today. He's right on the level with Girardi, if not better. G plays the right side to be matched with McD and Staal doesn't. That's why he's a second pairing player. He will get roughly the same deal, and it won't be an overpayment.

b) The lineup would be way, way worse. To the extent that we're effectively wasting the rest of MSL and much of Hank. So, throw out how many years of team building over what? Not wanting to shell out a million or so extra to sign Staal? Potentially having to put in a little extra thought into how to make room for rookies if and when they prove their abilities? Not worth it at all.

c) If he's so easy to replace, why can't anyone come up with a plan to replace him? The only things we've heard are that Allen can take his spot next year because people say so and that Skjei can take his spot in two years even though he's not a sure thing to jump right into the NHL at all, let alone jump right on to the second pair. If it's not "anything close to impossible" to replace him - let's hear some ideas. Who can step into that spot and how do you get them given what assets the Rangers have right now? And the thing is - it's easier to get a 2LD than it is to get a 2LD on Staal's level. People are blinded by a bad game here or there, but having guys on the level of Staal and Stralman on the second pair saved this team from elimination numerous times this year alone. Getting just any 2LD weakens to team more than it already is by losing Stralman. The team just made the finals largely based on D depth, and now we want to lose the entire second pair for what? Cap space? To do what?

A) I don't know what to tell you if you really think Staal will get Girardi's deal. He easily gets 6 million+. Very easily. And he isn't worth that unless the cap is like 75-80 million. He has NO hands. NONE. Why would you pay 6 million for a defenseman that can't play the style that's the cornerstone of AV's system?

And part of that is the fact that, no matter how hard you don't want to look at it this way, he is a second pairing defenseman on this team. I don't care that McDonagh is blocking him, you can't pay somebody that is as one dimensional as Staal 6 million dollars to be on the second pairing. It's really friggin bad cap management.

B) What you fail to consider from what you write is that locking up so much money in a one dimensional player hurts our ability to improve elsewhere. We could use another big player. We NEED a top 6 center. Another top 6 LW'er. Offense from the blueline. We have a lot of needs and a defensive defenseman just isn't one of them.

I also really hate the "why doesn't anybody have a better lineup?" shtick. Because I'm not Glen Sather. I'm not a person with any NHL connects. I'm not an insider on TSN. So what the hell idea do I have of what the market is like and what defensemen are actually out there? Obviously all our opinions would be different if we knew any of this information. I'm just making the best guess that a 2nd pairing LHD exists for the taking somewhere

I think you're overestimating how good Staal is. He was absolute horse **** half of the year, and the last two rounds of the playoffs. So bad to the point he was a detriment. But of course the other half he looked like frigging Pronger Jr. His inconsistency is absolutely maddening, and while it's fair to assume that he'll improve in the coming years as he gets acclimated to full years in the NHL again, it's also just as fair to assume that the Pronger Jr. Staal is not what he is, and that he'll probably max out as an above average LHD. You did see how AWFUL he was against Montreal and Los Angeles, right? Him and Girardi playing like cow manure cost us actual games, not just goals.

If he got "Pronger Jr." Staal more often than not, I'd have absolutely no issue giving him 6 million. He's not that Staal nearly enough to throw that kind of gamble at, in my opinion.

Not only that, but, I'm willing to bet trading him will get us back something really nice, that could help other holes.

C) To, uh, improve the roster?? I don't think I needed to tell you that.

You also realize this team lost right? It's not like we just won the cup and we have to make cuts. This is a team that needs improvements in a few areas. Having Staal is just a luxury we can't afford anymore, and I'm leaving it at that.

 

[mti79]

Just because McD emerged as an elite #1 doesn't mean Staal is expendable. This was his first full year after injury and he was solid most of the year, spectacular at times and like most people, less than good at others. He's going to continue to adjust to his limitations and he's going to end up being one of the top 3 #2 LHD in the league because of the presence of McD. We should absolutely keep him and continue to have the defense that we do.

We also have no depth behind him. Having Moore as our #3 LHD is great. And if someone beats him out, even better. And if a few years from now, we have someone that beats out Staal, well that's just fantastic because we now have an amazing trade chip in Staal to help in the future. For now, we need Staal on this team. He solidifies the defense. We need to keep Marc Staal.

 

[ltrangerfan]

Would I shop Staal ? absolutely.

Do I believe he'll be resigned? Probably. How big a contract? That's for the board to decide not Sather. LOL.

Unless another defenseman steps in to show that he can play a solid 2nd pairing Staal will probably remain. Sather isn't taking a shot and trade Staal after losing stralman, He has to be very certain whoever replaces Staal can step right in today without the D losing a beat.

 

[SupersonicMonkey*]

A) I don't know what to tell you if you really think Staal will get Girardi's deal. He easily gets 6 million+. Very easily. And he isn't worth that unless the cap is like 75-80 million. He has NO hands. NONE. Why would you pay 6 million for a defenseman that can't play the style that's the cornerstone of AV's system?

And part of that is the fact that, no matter how hard you don't want to look at it this way, he is a second pairing defenseman on this team. I don't care that McDonagh is blocking him, you can't pay somebody that is as one dimensional as Staal 6 million dollars to be on the second pairing. It's really friggin bad cap management.

B) What you fail to consider from what you write is that locking up so much money in a one dimensional player hurts our ability to improve elsewhere. We could use another big player. We NEED a top 6 center. Another top 6 LW'er. Offense from the blueline. We have a lot of needs and a defensive defenseman just isn't one of them.

I also really hate the "why doesn't anybody have a better lineup?" shtick. Because I'm not Glen Sather. I'm not a person with any NHL connects. I'm not an insider on TSN. So what the hell idea do I have of what the market is like and what defensemen are actually out there? Obviously all our opinions would be different if we knew any of this information. I'm just making the best guess that a 2nd pairing LHD exists for the taking somewhere

I think you're overestimating how good Staal is. He was absolute horse **** half of the year, and the last two rounds of the playoffs. So bad to the point he was a detriment. But of course the other half he looked like frigging Pronger Jr. His inconsistency is absolutely maddening, and while it's fair to assume that he'll improve in the coming years as he gets acclimated to full years in the NHL again, it's also just as fair to assume that the Pronger Jr. Staal is not what he is, and that he'll probably max out as an above average LHD. You did see how AWFUL he was against Montreal and Los Angeles, right? Him and Girardi playing like cow manure cost us actual games, not just goals.

If he got "Pronger Jr." Staal more often than not, I'd have absolutely no issue giving him 6 million. He's not that Staal nearly enough to throw that kind of gamble at, in my opinion.

Not only that, but, I'm willing to bet trading him will get us back something really nice, that could help other holes.

C) To, uh, improve the roster?? I don't think I needed to tell you that.

You also realize this team lost right? It's not like we just won the cup and we have to make cuts. This is a team that needs improvements in a few areas. Having Staal is just a luxury we can't afford anymore, and I'm leaving it at that.

Agree.

He isn't what he was before the multiple head injuries the last three years.

Not worth what he will command.

 

[NewLife]

Aren't we forced to keep Staal? With the two year commitment to Boyle we need someone very steady next to him, Staal. A Moore-Boyle pairing might be a disaster. Can Allen step in and be that guy, it is a lot of asking from a rookie to replace Staal.

 

[haveandare]

A) I don't know what to tell you if you really think Staal will get Girardi's deal. He easily gets 6 million+. Very easily. And he isn't worth that unless the cap is like 75-80 million. He has NO hands. NONE. Why would you pay 6 million for a defenseman that can't play the style that's the cornerstone of AV's system?

And part of that is the fact that, no matter how hard you don't want to look at it this way, he is a second pairing defenseman on this team. I don't care that McDonagh is blocking him, you can't pay somebody that is as one dimensional as Staal 6 million dollars to be on the second pairing. It's really friggin bad cap management.

B) What you fail to consider from what you write is that locking up so much money in a one dimensional player hurts our ability to improve elsewhere. We could use another big player. We NEED a top 6 center. Another top 6 LW'er. Offense from the blueline. We have a lot of needs and a defensive defenseman just isn't one of them.

I also really hate the "why doesn't anybody have a better lineup?" shtick. Because I'm not Glen Sather. I'm not a person with any NHL connects. I'm not an insider on TSN. So what the hell idea do I have of what the market is like and what defensemen are actually out there? Obviously all our opinions would be different if we knew any of this information. I'm just making the best guess that a 2nd pairing LHD exists for the taking somewhere

I think you're overestimating how good Staal is. He was absolute horse **** half of the year, and the last two rounds of the playoffs. So bad to the point he was a detriment. But of course the other half he looked like frigging Pronger Jr. His inconsistency is absolutely maddening, and while it's fair to assume that he'll improve in the coming years as he gets acclimated to full years in the NHL again, it's also just as fair to assume that the Pronger Jr. Staal is not what he is, and that he'll probably max out as an above average LHD. You did see how AWFUL he was against Montreal and Los Angeles, right? Him and Girardi playing like cow manure cost us actual games, not just goals.

If he got "Pronger Jr." Staal more often than not, I'd have absolutely no issue giving him 6 million. He's not that Staal nearly enough to throw that kind of gamble at, in my opinion.

Not only that, but, I'm willing to bet trading him will get us back something really nice, that could help other holes.

C) To, uh, improve the roster?? I don't think I needed to tell you that.

You also realize this team lost right? It's not like we just won the cup and we have to make cuts. This is a team that needs improvements in a few areas. Having Staal is just a luxury we can't afford anymore, and I'm leaving it at that.

A) Weird that he can't play the game that's the cornerstone of AV's system when he literally just played it successfully all year. Could have fooled me. Is it bad cap management to have D depth? I don't think so at all. It's how you win.

B) What you fail to consider is that blowing a hole to patch a hole is zero sum move. We need a C, cool. Let's trade Staal for one. Then we need an LD. Let's trade a center for one...it goes forever. We have a solid LD here right now and we have a kid who plays center and is way further along than either of the D prospects. To me, it makes zero sense to move Staal for a center and then block Miller. This isn't like blocking Skjei, who might make the team in two years. Miller has been PPG in the AHL. He's actually ready for the NHL this year, and he will have a roster spot.

I think you're completely overestimating how bad he was. He struggled against MTL when McD had his best series maybe ever. McD struggled the first round. Girardi struggled the last round. Lots of good Ds on other team struggled a round here on there. Such is the playoffs. Good teams play good teams and sometimes good players look bad. If every team traded every d man that looked bad against LA nobody would have anybody. That team was a juggernaut, and once again, a team like that would absolutely murder the Rangers without Stralman AND Staal. Like it or not, would have done it yourself or not, Stralman is gone and that second pairing needs an anchor. Adding a center at the expense of an entire second pair isn't going to help overall, it's going to hurt.

C) The fact that any of us aren't Glen Sather should mean it's even easier to come up with completely hypothetical rosters. We're not held to anything. You don't need to be an insider to look around the league and think "who can we get for Staal that can replace Staal?" or "who can we get with other assets that can replace Staal if/when he's traded for someone else?" The fact that nobody can answer that despite everyone constantly being able to dream up pie in the sky scenarios for replacing every other player should tell us something. There just isn't a solid replacement out there, not that I've seen. Saying that there's got to be a 2LD out there for the taking is like asking why doesn't Sather just trade for a young 1C...because teams don't want to give away good players, and the Rangers don't currently have the assets to make teams get rid of guys that they otherwise wouldn't want to.

And yes, I very obviously realize that they lost. You realize that losing, and then getting rid of an entire second D pair to replace it with a question mark or rookie and a 38 year old Dan Boyle is absolutely horrible, right?

 

[Raspewtin]

A) Weird that he can't play the game that's the cornerstone of AV's system when he literally just played it successfully all year. Could have fooled me. Is it bad cap management to have D depth? I don't think so at all. It's how you win.

B) What you fail to consider is that blowing a hole to patch a hole is zero sum move. We need a C, cool. Let's trade Staal for one. Then we need an LD. Let's trade a center for one...it goes forever. We have a solid LD here right now and we have a kid who plays center and is way further along than either of the D prospects. To me, it makes zero sense to move Staal for a center and then block Miller. This isn't like blocking Skjei, who might make the team in two years. Miller has been PPG in the AHL. He's actually ready for the NHL this year, and he will have a roster spot.

I think you're completely overestimating how bad he was. He struggled against MTL when McD had his best series maybe ever. McD struggled the first round. Girardi struggled the last round. Lots of good Ds on other team struggled a round here on there. Such is the playoffs. Good teams play good teams and sometimes good players look bad. If every team traded every d man that looked bad against LA nobody would have anybody. That team was a juggernaut, and once again, a team like that would absolutely murder the Rangers without Stralman AND Staal. Like it or not, would have done it yourself or not, Stralman is gone and that second pairing needs an anchor. Adding a center at the expense of an entire second pair isn't going to help overall, it's going to hurt.

C) The fact that any of us aren't Glen Sather should mean it's even easier to come up with completely hypothetical rosters. We're not held to anything. You don't need to be an insider to look around the league and think "who can we get for Staal that can replace Staal?" or "who can we get with other assets that can replace Staal if/when he's traded for someone else?" The fact that nobody can answer that despite everyone constantly being able to dream up pie in the sky scenarios for replacing every other player should tell us something. There just isn't a solid replacement out there, not that I've seen. Saying that there's got to be a 2LD out there for the taking is like asking why doesn't Sather just trade for a young 1C...because teams don't want to give away good players, and the Rangers don't currently have the assets to make teams get rid of guys that they otherwise wouldn't want to.

And yes, I very obviously realize that they lost. You realize that losing, and then getting rid of an entire second D pair to replace it with a question mark or rookie and a 38 year old Dan Boyle is absolutely horrible, right?

A) I don't know what in the world your definition of "he played it all year well" is, because for at least half of this season, Staal was trash. I didn't even think that was something to be argued.

B) You're looking at trading Staal in a vacuum, again. We're not trading Staal because we need a center. We're trading Staal because we can't afford him, and that center that's probably coming back would be a consequence of not affording him.

You got me at the second pair needing an anchor. It's true. With the acquisition of Dan Boyle, we're pretty much forced to keep Staal or get someone like him. Another reason I dislike the acquisition.

C) Okay, fine. Staal and Miller for Gardiner and Kadri. Wow! We have a top 6 center and top 4 D now to replace Staal. Now, does this trade happen? Obviously not. See, senseless discussion is fun but it doesn't prove your point, or mine.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree.

 

[BobMarleyNYR]

Can't see I view Kadri as a winning top 6 center, but more of a pure point producer, I don't think winning teams can afford to have center ice man that can't play in all 3 zones.

Not a fan of Gardiner other than his skating. Kid has Brian Boytano like acceleration with a Brian Boytano like defensive acumen, a turnstyle.

I'd trade Staal for an Alzner or Muzzin plus an asset to not downgrade on that much on the asset and gain cap space plus a premium. I can't say I'm in the trendy trade Staal camp.

Brassard however, I would move to try and upgrade at the center slot for a proven top 6 two way center, or a no 1. Don't think that will happen once he gets his contract. He deserves a look see to see if can indeed be a reliable top 6 center on a winning team. My gut says no given what he's shown and the players he's played against. The Rangers will either be content to take a step back next year, or make moves at the deadline depending on how Miller and Brassard hold up.

My instincts are that one of Miller/Brassard get packaged with JMoore for an available top 6 center if the former two can't handle the 2 & 3 slot in the middle.

I agree, Kadri is not the best option. Nor is Gardiner. My point was that, with the way things have started this summer, there is no longer that option. We've lost Stralman AND Boyle, and have not yet upgraded at C. It's a losing off-season at this rate. Staal shouldn't/won't be traded now, which seems like our only shot at upgrading at ANY position, barring a Nash trade (which I don't see happening). Brassard is the only one with significant value, and not huge.

I'm all for trading Brassard, Moore and Miller, but we wouldn't get much back, even for a package of those three... a very inconsistent 2c, a fast D who sucks at everything, and a potential 2nd-3rd liner who hasn't proven anything.

 

[haveandare]

A) I don't know what in the world your definition of "he played it all year well" is, because for at least half of this season, Staal was trash. I didn't even think that was something to be argued.

B) You're looking at trading Staal in a vacuum, again. We're not trading Staal because we need a center. We're trading Staal because we can't afford him, and that center that's probably coming back would be a consequence of not affording him.

You got me at the second pair needing an anchor. It's true. With the acquisition of Dan Boyle, we're pretty much forced to keep Staal or get someone like him. Another reason I dislike the acquisition.

C) Okay, fine. Staal and Miller for Gardiner and Kadri. Wow! We have a top 6 center and top 4 D now to replace Staal. Now, does this trade happen? Obviously not. See, senseless discussion is fun but it doesn't prove your point, or mine.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree.

I honestly can't keep track of who has "trash" seasons by HFNYR standards because the whipping boy changes day to day. Short of me seriously forgetting some huge, huge flubs, I really don't remember Staal being nearly that bad. I thought our second pairing was very good and our overall D depth was absolutely top notch. I didn't think that was something to be argued, but I guess Girardi sucks and Staal was trash and the constant talk about how we had such depth on d and how that was propelling us through the playoffs was a figment of my imagination.

We can't afford him? His cap hit now is almost 4. We're talking about maybe 6? And we don't know the cap for the following year? And we're potentially adding multiple rookies on ELCs? I think it's a bit early to say we can't afford him for sure.

The bolded is the absolutely key. I don't disagree with you on most stuff, it's just that the bolded hangs above absolutely every discussion of this.

 

[TollefsenFan]

Trade him for Sekera. If Carolina declines, then we need to resign him long term.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

The contract Staal is going to demand is more than we can afford for a 2nd pair LD. With Skjei, Allen, and Moore as possible candidates to take his minutes, I don't think our lineup will suffer all that much. He's never going to be a first pair LD with McDonagh here. Trade him to some team where he can be a first pair guy.