Marc Staal was traded to Detroit over the weekend in a shocking deal that caught everyone off guard. The Rangers, saddled with the final year of his $5.7 million contract, cleared the entire cap hit, costing them just a 2nd round pick in 2021 to do so. The move was done to help the Rangers set themselves up for next season and beyond as playoff contenders. Marc Staal’s legacy with the Rangers is a complicated one, filled with nuance.
Staal played 892 regular season games with the Rangers, and almost all of them were as a top-four defenseman.