Marc Staal's importance to the New York Rangers skyrocketed this season. Don't get me wrong, he has been a valuable part of this team since entering the league in 2007, but this past year was it for him. In a sense, he made the jump from youngster to veteran and established himself as a leader on the blue-line here in New York, especially when he started wearing the alternate captain's "A" on his chest. Staalsy was right up there with Henrik Lundqvis and Ryan Callahan as team MVP in 2010-11.
The 24-year-old out of Thunder Bay, Ontario recorded seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points in 77 games played. He also picked up 50 penalty minutes and was a plus-8 overall rating on the year. Those are the highest offensive numbers that Marc has posted in a single season to this point in his career, which is a testament to the fact that he has increased contributions outside of the defensive zone each year. But I don't judge Staal on how he performs offensively because it's his play in his own zone that catches my attention.
Many people may argue with me on this one, but I believe that Marc is one of the best shutdown defensmen in the entire National Hockey League. That's right, he is up there with Nik Lidstrom and Zdeno Chara as far as defensive play goes, because you must admit, he was that good this past season. It's his poise and demeanor that make him so effective, because much like his brothers, Marc is always calm and collected and makes everything he does look easy.
Constantly matching up against the league's top offensive talents on a nightly basis is no easy task for any defensemen, but Staal is able to do so with apparent ease and again, remains calm at all times. It's near impossible to frustrate him, and there's no shaking free from his radar; those two things combined make him extremely difficult to play against as a forward. You wonder why Bruce Bourdreau always double shifts Alex Ovechkin so that he plays against two different defensive pairings when the Caps play the Rangers? Marc Staal's why.
Staal leads by example, and a lot of the younger defensemen on the Blueshirts will tell you that (i.e. Sauer, McDonagh). This past season especially he picked up his physical play and started to implement more consistent use of the body in his game. That is a result of the great offseason training he goes through to become bigger and stronger heading into training camp, which is something the coaching staff has complimented him on in the past. When the youngsters see a leader like Marc throwing around the body, they become more inclined to do so as well.
And when you talk about Marc Staal, you also have to mention his partner, Dan Girardi. Together they make a stellar shutdown pairing that head coach John Tortorella uses as his go-to duo on defense.
I think what Marc told me when I talked to him during All-Star Weekend back in January says it all about his bond with Girardi:
"...I have a good partner in [Dan] Girardi and we've found success playing together, so it's been a lot of fun so far".
Staal is the Rangers' best defenseman, and when paired with Girardi, he is also one of the best in the league. 'Nuff said.
GRADE: A
Obviously Stall is the main man on defense, however don't be a bit surprised if his partner Girardi gets traded during the draft so the Rangers can move up, have read this on several differnt sites. It's only rumor but it makes sense with the defensemen in the Ranger system. If the Rangers can move into the top 10 by trading their pick and Girardi to me it's a no brainer.
Posted by: JohnP | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 06:29 PM
Staal is one of the best in the league by far...someone us Ranger fans can trust on the back end for many years to come!
Posted by: MvpGaborik | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 06:33 PM
I doubt Girardi is going anywhere.
Posted by: Nick Montemagno | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 09:43 PM