Saturday, September 18, 2010

Marc Staal Re-signs for Five



  Restricted free-agent Marc Staal has agreed to a 5 year contract extension with the New York Rangers at $3.975 million per-year.

  23 year-old 2005 12th overall (NYR) draft pick Marc Staal logged a career high in ice time (23:07, team leading) and points with 8 goals and 19 assists with a -11 rating. His plus/minus was third on the team and first among defensemen, and he tied for second on the team in hits (178, 12th among all NHL defensemen). Staal has improved every year in all categories for the Rangers, and surely hasn’t reached his prime.

  The 6’4 Thunder Bay, Ontario native has appeared now in 244 games during his three years as a Ranger and has looked primed to be a centerpiece for this organization on the blue line. Staal plays a punishing defensive game and has been responsible and mature for his club, hence his near $1.5 million raise. In his three seasons he’s only missed 2 games (both his rookie year) and has played 202 games consecutively.

  Staal has excelled in his international competitiveness. He captured back-to-back gold medals for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships in 2006 and 2007 and was named best defenseman in 2006. He also appeared in the 2010 World Championships for his home country, and is poised to make a crack at the Olympic roster in the future (should the NHL opt to play in Russia).

  The signing comes as great news for Ranger fans as many of the deals from the top have been sketchy in recent years.

- Kendall Grubbs

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