Hartnett: Addition Of Eric Staal Lengthens Rangers' Depth Considerably
By Sean Hartnett
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The Eric Staal trade is an immediate win for the Rangers.
In acquiring the four-time All-Star center, the Rangers have lengthened their scoring depth ahead of the playoffs and they did so without surrendering any of their current NHL talent or a first-round draft pick.
On Sunday, the Rangers sent 2016 and 2017 second-round selections and highly-rated Finnish prospect Aleksi Saarela to the Carolina Hurricanes for Staal -- with the Canes absorbing half of Staal's $8.25 million cap hit. The 31-year-old is in the final year of a seven-year, $57.75 million extension signed in 2008.
Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton should be applauded for his prudent dealing. He stuck to his guns and refused to include a first-rounder, something that predecessor Glen Sather had done to acquire difference-makers Martin St. Louis and Keith Yandle at previous deadlines. Although the Rangers have done a fine job mining late-round gems and are keeping the Hartford-to-MSG pipeline flowing, you can't keep sacrificing valuable first-round picks.
Given the deep list of Stanley Cup contenders in the East, the Rangers needed to infuse their lineup with a proven, experienced player who is capable of playing multiple roles. Staal, a former Stanley Cup winner, brings a track record of serving as a productive forward who can line up at center or on the wing and can add a boost to the Rangers' 17.5-percent power play.
Although Staal has only one power play goal this season, he's collected 12 or more in six seasons, including scoring seven in man-advantage situations last season. Most importantly, his record of 43 points in 43 playoff games speaks for itself.
"We're bringing in a player we've liked, we feel can add to our group in a lot of ways, that has won, that's still a young player in our mind, has some years left, too, can still skate," Gorton said during Sunday's conference call. "He can do a lot of things for our hockey team and I think it gives us an added dimension to make us more dangerous and a harder team to beat."
Aside from his 31-point rookie campaign and this season's drop-off in production to 0.52 points per game, Staal has logged a 0.70 or higher average in 10 of his 12 NHL seasons. The Rangers are hoping a change of scenery and playing with a higher degree of skilled teammates can help Staal rekindle his typical production.
"I would say that we're looking at a player that we think could be energized by this trade," Gorton said. "We see the numbers, we've scouted him a lot. We know the player as well as anybody, and we think we put him into our team, surround him with some of the pieces we have, that we're going to get a lot out of him and he's going to be energized to come to New York and play for the Rangers."
As mentioned earlier, the list of teams ready to make a run at the Cup is growing. The scoring-rich Washington Capitals are on their way to locking up the Presidents' Trophy and a fresh contender, the Florida Panthers, beefed up their offensive punch by landing Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell in separate deals on Saturday.
In this league you need to give something to get something. The Hurricanes needed to gain a prospect with big upside to show their fans proof they didn't deal away their franchise player for a bunch of hit-or-miss draft picks. Saarela could go on to star in the NHL given his play in big tournaments, high level of hockey sense and stickhandling skills. The 19-year-old center was a key contributor in the Finns capturing gold at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.
When it comes down to it, the Rangers needed to make another big splash to give themselves the best chance of lifting Lord Stanley at season's end. If Staal can rediscover his past form and Rick Nash rebounds once he recovers from a bone bruise, the Rangers could be cooking as they enter the playoffs.
Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey
