Marc Staal, a career Ranger, has been the target of much vitriol the past few seasons. While it’s impossible to blame the player for the contract he signed or the usage he is given, he is the unfortunate representation of all of that on the ice. For the majority of his contract, Staal has been below replacement. This is almost entirely because offense dies on his stick, but his snow angels didn’t necessarily help his cause.
Rewind to last season, when he was paired with Tony DeAngelo for a little while, and all of a sudden the numbers were starting to improve.