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The last time I heard of Stall being a physical defenseman was the scouting reoprts out of Sudbury.
Those reports were largely inaccurate.
Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part X — Active Roster in OP (09/28)
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The last time I heard of Stall being a physical defenseman was the scouting reoprts out of Sudbury.
Those reports were largely inaccurate.
Edge
Kris King's Ghost
Ironically that wasn’t even his calling card then.
That was still the era where 6’4 defenseman were expected to be bangers, and that was a knock on Staal.
NYR Viper
Registered User
Ironically that wasn’t even his calling card then.
That was still the era where 6’4 defenseman were expected to be bangers, and that was a knock on Staal.
His edgework and ability to pivot his hips without losing speed while using his stick to poke check was always his calling card. He’s still good at those things it’s just that his puck skills have totally deteriorated. Without the puck he is still a solid defender no matter what anyone says. It’s what makes him a very good PKer. With the puck is another story
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
I don’t believe you’re open to it for a second.
But... He’s the best leader amongst the D. I believe that you need strong leadership among both the D corps and the F corps. That has enormous value that’s not yet outweighed by his clear limitations on the ice. Strong leadership is a key component to the function of any team... any group of people working towards the same goal. Hopefully, a more effective D with room for growth... like Skjei... can develop those leadership skills (likely learning them from Staal himself) so we won’t need someone like Staal around soon enough. Yeah, there are better players out there who have equal leadership qualities, but none of them are on the Rangers, so it’s a moot point.
I leave it to you to decide if the leadership issue is an effective argument. I suspect you won’t.
The problem is, he is the worst player amongst the D.
And that may apply to what they have in Hartford as well
- Nov 2, 2011
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Look, Staal sucks - there isn't an argument about that really
But the guys can still like him, he can still be a veteran that knows a lot about the NHL, even if he isn't as capable or skilled as others or even he himself used to be, he can still garner respect, have discipline, and be a very likeable guy
The team is going to lose this year, a lot. It is important to have guys there that can keep the atmosphere good, keep the young kids with their heads up up. If someone like Staal or other older guys lose that motivation, or just fall in line with going through the motions and hating being there then it just breeds a horrible atmosphere. This doesn't mean you have to play him 24 minutes a night, but giving him a letter, having him be a mentor and a clubhouse leader, and putting the letter on a jersey of a guy that is already well liked all by his teammates, coaching staff, and front office might not be such a bad thing.
Maybe having someone like Staal being an Assistant Captain for reasons other than simply his skill on ice is the thing that can separate this rebuild from some organization like Buffalo, or Edmonton, or whatever other example you can think of where all the posters around here clamored for their young pieces year after year but it never culminated in anything good or lasting.
But the guys can still like him, he can still be a veteran that knows a lot about the NHL, even if he isn't as capable or skilled as others or even he himself used to be, he can still garner respect, have discipline, and be a very likeable guy
The team is going to lose this year, a lot. It is important to have guys there that can keep the atmosphere good, keep the young kids with their heads up up. If someone like Staal or other older guys lose that motivation, or just fall in line with going through the motions and hating being there then it just breeds a horrible atmosphere. This doesn't mean you have to play him 24 minutes a night, but giving him a letter, having him be a mentor and a clubhouse leader, and putting the letter on a jersey of a guy that is already well liked all by his teammates, coaching staff, and front office might not be such a bad thing.
Maybe having someone like Staal being an Assistant Captain for reasons other than simply his skill on ice is the thing that can separate this rebuild from some organization like Buffalo, or Edmonton, or whatever other example you can think of where all the posters around here clamored for their young pieces year after year but it never culminated in anything good or lasting.
NHL players are slimming down so much all over. Players that don't do the same despite a need for it will look painfully slow and behind, all weight is negative when skating, the lighter you become the faster you can skate.
What is the ideal body type of a forward in a draft going forward? I think you should be really careful going after beefy types.
Amazing Kreiderman
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- Apr 11, 2011
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They didn't give Staal the captaincy, because he isn't part of this team's future. They don't want someone captaining the team for a year or 2. If the future captain was on the team right now, he would have been named captain. But going with 5 A's says it all, really. The next captain will be one of our prospects. Lias and Howden are the clear frontrunners in my opinion. They have led their teams both on and off the ice last season (Lias at all the u20 internationals and at the World Juniors, Howden in the WHL).
I don't see Kravtsov and Chytil as leaders.
haohmaru
boomshakalaka
You're pretty convinced that you have a good idea about what I'm open to and what I'm not and I'm really not sure why you feel that way.
Leadership is an argument that I can actually buy. I know there's quite a few that don't buy into terms like "leadership", "character", "locker room guy", etc... around here but I'm not one of them.
Shattenkirk has said he wants to step up to that role but Mark has been in that role for some time. Hopefully Mark can be as effective as a player as you peruse he is as a leader.
- Nov 7, 2017
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Staal is not the captain because he wouldn't do well as a captain. It would be a burden on him just like it was on McDonagh.
Zucc on the other hand, nothing has been decided there. They may still re-sign him at some point and give him the captaincy, as a lot of fans want. But it depends on how he plays and where the Rangers are in the playoff picture.
offdacrossbar
misfit fanboy
henrik should be a captain.
makes too much sense.
guy bleeds blue, hes a natural leader and voice and face of the team, hes vocal, and one of the best players on the team since hes been here.
done and done.
makes too much sense.
guy bleeds blue, hes a natural leader and voice and face of the team, hes vocal, and one of the best players on the team since hes been here.
done and done.
So much for the theory about Staal being a 7th D this season.
The next Rangers captain will be one of the young guys. That player may not even be on the team right now.
The Rangers have more pressing issues than "who is the captain"?
The next Rangers captain will be one of the young guys. That player may not even be on the team right now.
The Rangers have more pressing issues than "who is the captain"?
TheBloodyNine
Pure Bred Soviet Savage
I don’t know how anyone could look at Matthews last night and what’s going on in Toronto and not instantly want the same for the Rangers. Jack Hughes should be our only goal this season.
Off Sides
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- Sep 8, 2008
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I really think the Rangers need to focus on stockpiling, I am glad they seem to have drafted some nice prospects, added some through trades, but the contrast is stark between what the Rangers prospect pool is projecting versus what the Leafs have already graduated. Trying to compete with them in the East for many future years is not going to be kind to the Rangers unless the Rangers are also able to draft players of that caliber. And that is just the Leafs, there are several teams who have been and are now also rebuilding and drafting players who have the highest of ceilings.
Amazing Kreiderman
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Tawnos
A guy with a bass
Typically speaking, "if you have an effective argument, I'm all ears" is sarcastic around here. Sorry about that.
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I know they won't make a decision based on that, it's just an interesting fact.
Gardner McKay
RIP, Jimmy.
I have managed enough people to know that your best performers are usually not the best leaders. It is especially true in sales. Some of our top sales people make the worst managers and the worst leaders. Having worked in a team environment every day for the last 7 years, I can tell you that leadership is one of the MOST important qualities to have when working with a team.
The fact that Staal will be the only person to wear the A for both home and road games, tells you what management, coaches and players think of his leadership skills. Creating a good environment for your young players, an environment of ownership, accountability, pride in work ethic, etc. is essential. I absolutely understand people who do not think Staal is an NHL player any more. I tend to agree. I can understand the frustration that he will be seeing some minutes. But, when the team looks at him as a leader, it doesn't bother me as much anymore. Staal is there to provide something that many others on the team cannot.
People are letting an irrational hatred of a particular situation get in the way of the positives that can come from said situation.
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
Definitely wrong. While a leader doesn't need to be your best performer, he does need to be out there with the team pushing towards the same goal. "In the trenches," if you will.
He can be that guy during practice. I think that busting your ass during practice when you know that you're not going to get into many games speaks more to leadership than playing and sucking.
On the ice, he hurts the team. This wouldn't be an issue if there weren't a young player behind him on the depth chart who is more worthy of playing than Staal is.
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
I've worked in a team environment for the last 13 years and I couldn't agree more. One company, which I was with for 12 of those 13, made the continual mistake of viewing top performers as good management candidates and the whole company suffered for it (250+ stores). Those of us working at the store level were often frustrated when we wanted to promote somebody into management and the uppers first question would be "what do his/her numbers look like?" and if they weren't "high enough" we would be told no.
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
He really can't.
Leadership is a really strange thing. It relies so much on personal credibility, but that credibility isn't strongly tied into overall ability. It's mostly about presence... if a player isn't playing in games, his presence is diminished and he won't be as effective as a leader. The guys will not feel like he's there with them and will be disconnected from him.
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