Marc Staal’s career with Rangers is one that deserves to be appreciated
There’s an alternative New York Rangers universe where Marc Staal doesn’t sustain a brutal concussion at the hands — or shoulder — of his brother Eric in 2011.
In that same timeline, Staal also doesn’t sustain a gruesome eye injury just over two years later when a Kimmo Timonen slapshot causes him permanent damage.
But alas, we don’t live in that universe and those two things did happen to Marc, who announced last week both his retirement as an NHL player and that he’s joined the Rangers as a player development assistant, rejoining the franchise that selected him in the first-round of the 2005 NHL Draft.
Those injuries more than a decade ago changed the perception of the player Staal was for the Rangers before those incidents occurred, and that’s a shame for everyone.
Though he was never going to be Bobby Orr or Brian Leetch, Adam Fox or Cale Makar, Staal was on a path to be a very solid top-four defenseman. And to his credit, he still accomplished that despite missing extended periods of time due to both injuries, including the eye issue that never truly healed.
Before that concussion in February 2011, the then 24-year-old had become a mainstay on the Rangers blue line and was contributing offensively with an NHL career-high 29 points in 77 games after posting 27 points the year prior. He appeared in his only NHL All Star Game just three weeks before the concussion.
Not bad for a fourth-year defenseman.
For modern context, Ryan Lindgren’s career-high in points came in 2022-23 when he scored one goal and had 18 points with the Rangers. And Staal likely was even more reliable defensively than Lindgren.
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Rangers had sustained period of success with Marc Staal in the lineup
There’s quite a definitive line in the sand for Staal before and after that injury when it comes to his ability to contribute in both ends of the ice. He’d never score more than 20 points in a season again.
Staal missed the first half of the 2011-12 season before returning at the 2012 Winter Classic against the Philadelphia Flyers. By that point, though, he’d been replaced on the depth chart by Ryan McDonagh and never again captured his role as the team’s top left-handed blueliner.
We’ll never know what could have been for Staal had those injuries not derailed a career that was off to such a promising start. With that said, though, Staal was a mainstay on the Rangers blue line during one of the most successful extended runs in franchise history.
His return in mid-2012 helped the Rangers finish atop the Metropolitan Division and make their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Final since 1997. Two years later, Staal, along with Anton Stralman, held down the second pairing to help New York reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in two decades.
With that long reach, underrated strength, unwavering compete level and veteran smarts, Staal was a pain to play against. Just ask the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Over the years, each future Hall of Famer spoke about how difficult it was to play against Staal, especially in their numerous playoff matchups.
All told, Staal spent 13 years with the Rangers and missed the playoffs just four times, three of which came after The Letter of 2018 signaled a pivot towards a rebuild.
Despite missing significant time with those two injuries, Staal played 892 of his 1,136 NHL games with the Rangers, sixth most in franchise history, fourth among defensemen behind Harry Howell, Brian Leetch and Ron Greschner.
Staal — along with fellow longtime teammate Dan Girardi — became a punching bag of sorts from this fanbase, though, especially late in his Rangers career. Too slow. Not productive enough. Makes too much money.
No, Staal never lived up to the hype he may have entered the League with. But he was a steady presence, who routinely was on the ice against the opponent’s best. And he did it for a team with sustained success for a decade.
Few players — especially in this organization — can lay claim to that.
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