4. Marc Staal, Defenseman
Staal has been a corner-stone on the Rangers blueline for the past several years, but also has shown signs of weakness in his game like all of top three Rangers defenseman have shown (McDonagh and Girardi being the other two).
Staal’s current contract ranks fourth on the list, with his cap hit being $5.7 million for the next five years, last year was the first of the six year deal.
But like Girardi and McDonagh, Staal has seen a dramatic drop in his play. He had only 15 points this year, two being goals. His average time on ice has dropped as well to 19:41.
The biggest question that comes to mind when the Rangers were offering Staal this contract was his liability. For two consecutive seasons he was out with an injury. In 2011-12 it was the concussion received by brother Eric Staal during a game.
He would play the second half of the season.
The second injury being the puck to the eye received in the lock-out shortened 2012-13 season. That was a very scary injury, and was another blunder to add to his list.
And in all honesty, Staal never got back on his feet the way he was headed in the 2010-11 year, which saw a career high in assists and points.
But, he has been signed to a deal that will keep him around until 2020-21 including a no move and no trade clause along the way.
