Marc Staal made his return to the Garden on Thursday, the defenseman who had one of the most noble careers in franchise history receiving a video tribute upon his first appearance here since his trade to the Red Wings on Sept. 26, 2020.
The Blueshirts needed to move the veteran in order to clear cap space for last season. But this came at a cost when then-general manager Jeff Gorton had to add a second-round draft choice sweetener to the equation in order to complete the deal.
The selection was 48th overall. Finnish center Aatu Raty was still on the board, to be plucked four picks later by the Islanders. But dealing Staal, who played through multiple concussions and the loss of sight in his right eye when struck by a puck while pulling on the Blueshirt for 892 regular-season games plus another 107 in the postseason, was the correct move.
And not only because of the cap issue. Dealing the veteran opened up a slot for K’Andre Miller to make the jump from Wisconsin to Broadway. Theoretically, the Blueshirts could have had both on the roster. They wouldn’t then have signed Jack Johnson as a free agent. They might have moved Libor Hajek instead. But if Staal had stayed, Miller’s ice time and responsibilities would have been reduced. And No. 79 would almost certainly be behind where he is at this point.
Miller had another strong game in this 3-2 shootout defeat to the Red Wings in which the Rangers played just well enough to get one point. They stumbled out of the gate again, slow starts being a nagging issue most of the year the club has not solved. They were only awarded one power play for the second straight game, and though they could/should have at least one more when Julien Gauthier was rammed from behind without the puck by Givani Smith midway through the third, they never quite forced the issue.
Mika Zibanejad scored on that man-advantage to tie the score 2-2, but it was Miller who got the club’s lone five-on-five tally, driving down the left wall and circling the net before tucking in a near-post wraparound against Thomas Greiss, the pending free agent who put on a show that could have implications if the Blueshirts opt to deal Alex Georgiev and need a backup for Igor Shesterkin.
Miller is blooming. His ice time and responsibilities have increased in the absence of Patrik Nemeth, who is believed suffering from long-term effects from a December COVID infection and has been placed on injured reserve. The veteran has missed the last seven contests.
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Head coach Gerard Gallant generally cuts down to four defensemen for the final 10-12 minutes of tight games. He went with the Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox tandem while moving Nemeth up from his third-pair role to take Miller’s spot on Jacob Trouba’s left side. Now, though, Miller is soaking up those minutes.
And on the penalty kill as well, Nemeth moved up to play with Trouba while Miller generally sat. Not now. Now, when the Rangers are shorthanded, it is (groan) Miller Time. And the 22-year-old is responding. The more minutes he gets, the tougher situations into which he is placed, the more his confidence grows, the more he is adding to the program.
The Rangers have been lining up with 24-year-old Ryan Lindgren, 22-year-old Miller and 21-year-old Zac Jones on the left side of their defense. Jones, paired with 20-year-old Braden Schneider, has impressed at both ends of the ice through this audition. The hope here is that the UMass product is not being showcased for a trade.
Montreal veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot, a pending free agent, has been linked to the Blueshirts for weeks. Currently on IR with an unspecified lower-back issue, Chiarot is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and can be physical. Gallant likes size. He likes muscle on the back end. Jones is maybe 5-11 and 185. The kid has skill and he plays with bite but he doesn’t have size.
Still, Chiarot, who has been paired with either Jeff Petry or David Savard, is having a bad year with a terrible team. I’m not a believer that players in that scenario can be counted on to turn it around following a trade. That’s without even factoring in the cost of the rental. Why give up a future — please not Jones — for this player?
And look, we don’t want to make assumptions, but there is certainly the chance that Gallant would use Chiarot the same way he used Nemeth, using him with Trouba both while cutting down to four D and on the PK. Which would mean less time for Miller.
The Rangers once moved Marc Staal to create an opportunity for the young American. Now is not the time to stifle the emerging defenseman.
Marc Staal made his return to the Garden on Thursday, the defenseman who had one of the most noble careers in franchise history receiving a video tribute upon his first appearance here since his trade to the Red Wings on Sept. 26, 2020. The Blueshirts needed to move the veteran in order to clear cap space for last season. But this came at a cost when then-general manager Jeff Gorton had to add a second-round draft choice sweetener to the equation in order to complete the deal. The selection was 48th overall. Finnish center Aatu Raty was still on the board, to be plucked four picks later by the Islanders. But dealing Staal, who played through multiple concussions and the loss of sight in his right eye when struck by a puck while pulling on the Blueshirt for 892 regular-season games plus another 107 in the postseason, was the correct move. And not only because of the cap issue. Dealing the veteran opened up a slot for K’Andre Miller to make the jump from Wisconsin to Broadway. Theoretically, the Blueshirts could have had both on the roster. They wouldn’t then have signed Jack Johnson as a free agent. They might have moved Libor Hajek instead. But if Staal had stayed, Miller’s ice time and responsibilities would have been reduced. And No. 79 would almost certainly be behind where he is at this point. Miller had another strong game in this 3-2 shootout defeat to the Red Wings in which the Rangers played just well enough to get one point. They stumbled out of the gate again, slow starts being a nagging issue most of the year the club has not solved. They were only awarded one power play for the second straight game, and though they could/should have at least one more when Julien Gauthier was rammed from behind without the puck by Givani Smith midway through the third, they never quite forced the issue. K’Andre Miller scores a wrap-around goal in the second period. USA TODAY Sports Mika Zibanejad scored on that man-advantage to tie the score 2-2, but it was Miller who got the club’s lone five-on-five tally, driving down the left wall and circling the net before tucking in a near-post wraparound against Thomas Greiss, the pending free agent who put on a show that could have implications if the Blueshirts opt to deal Alex Georgiev and need a backup for Igor Shesterkin. Miller is blooming. His ice time and responsibilities have increased in the absence of Patrik Nemeth, who is believed suffering from long-term effects from a December COVID infection and has been placed on injured reserve. The veteran has missed the last seven contests. Post Sports+ members, sign up to have Mollie Walker text you the latest word on the Rangers and reply with your thoughts and questions. Not a Sports+ member yet? Try it now. Head coach Gerard Gallant generally cuts down to four defensemen for the final 10-12 minutes of tight games. He went with the Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox tandem while moving Nemeth up from his third-pair role to take Miller’s spot on Jacob Trouba’s left side. Now, though, Miller is soaking up those minutes. And on the penalty kill as well, Nemeth moved up to play with Trouba while Miller generally sat. Not now. Now, when the Rangers are shorthanded, it is (groan) Miller Time. And the 22-year-old is responding. The more minutes he gets, the tougher situations into which he is placed, the more his confidence grows, the more he is adding to the program. Marc Staal salutes the MSG crowd after getting a video tribute. NHLI via Getty Images The Rangers have been lining up with 24-year-old Ryan Lindgren, 22-year-old Miller and 21-year-old Zac Jones on the left side of their defense. Jones, paired with 20-year-old Braden Schneider, has impressed at both ends of the ice through this audition. The hope here is that the UMass product is not being showcased for a trade. Montreal veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot, a pending free agent, has been linked to the Blueshirts for weeks. Currently on IR with an unspecified lower-back issue, Chiarot is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and can be physical. Gallant likes size. He likes muscle on the back end. Jones is maybe 5-11 and 185. The kid has skill and he plays with bite but he doesn’t have size. K’Andre Miller (left) celebrates after his second period goal. USA TODAY Sports Still, Chiarot, who has been paired with either Jeff Petry or David Savard, is having a bad year with a terrible team. I’m not a believer that players in that scenario can be counted on to turn it around following a trade. That’s without even factoring in the cost of the rental. Why give up a future — please not Jones — for this player? And look, we don’t want to make assumptions, but there is certainly the chance that Gallant would use Chiarot the same way he used Nemeth, using him with Trouba both while cutting down to four D and on the PK. Which would mean less time for Miller. The Rangers once moved Marc Staal to create an opportunity for the young American. Now is not the time to stifle the emerging defenseman.