Before training camp started, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault stood before the media and proclaimed that for the first time in nearly a decade, Marc Staal would be playing for his spot on the roster. No more would there be guarantees about playing time or even a spot in the top seven.
This was massive news. So much so that we dedicated an entire Newsletter to the new development. It seemed like a monumental shift for AV, the continuation of one that began in the off-season with the buying out of Dan Girardi. Maybe, just maybe, the Rangers were finally understanding the defensive inefficiencies Girardi and Staal were bringing to the line-up each and every night.
There was some skepticism among fans, of course, and rightfully so. For one, Marc Staal has a massive contract that includes a no movement clause. Could the Rangers truly jettison Staal now, after they had all off-season to make a similar move during two different buyout windows? Would they swallow carrying that size of a contract as an extra defenseman? Second, we’re still talking about Alain Vigneault. The same guy who gave a Staal-Nick Holden pairing crucial minutes in the playoffs that eventually cost the Rangers two separate games against the Ottawa Senators, leading to their earlier-than-expected playoff exit.
The red flags were there, but the benefit of the doubt was granted. In theory, the Rangers were entering the preseason with an all-out battle for the final two defensive spots and extra defender with Staal, Holden, Anthony DeAngelo, Neal Pionk, Ryan Graves, Alexei Bereglazov and Steve Kampfer fighting it out for. Add in the notion that the Rangers were still at least attempting to shop Nick Holden to interested teams, and you could see an opportunity starting to emerge for young defenders the Rangers have on roster.
Enter training camp itself. Neal Pionk impressed right out of the gate. Anthony DeAngelo offered better-than-expected play as well, though his star never shined as bright as Pionk’s. Staal and Holden continued to struggle, with Staal’s game falling even further than what we saw in the playoffs, which is even more discouraging considering the rest and recovery he should’ve enjoyed during the off-season.
If you were to evaluate the preseason based purely on performance and independent of any contractual obligations owed to any single player, there’s no question the bottom pairing for the Rangers would be DeAngelo-Pionk. Without contract obligations, you wouldn’t even consider carrying Marc Staal as your extra defender.
We don’t live in that world, so Rangers fans began preparing themselves for Staal as the 7th defender. He wouldn’t accept a Hartford demotion, and a buyout wouldn’t make a ton of sense that this point, so fine. Marc Staal would ride the luxury suite all year. Whatever. That’s what AV said he’d do.
And then roster announcements happened.
Pionk, demoted. Graves, demoted. Staal has been playing consistently on the bottom pairing, with DeAngelo and Holden being cycled in and out.
Maybe we were all being naive. Maybe it was all lip-service from Vigneault. Maybe there was never a chance of Staal being left out of the Rangers six defensive spots, let alone the opening night roster.
But if that was the case, why not be upfront about it? Why create a question where the answer is already predetermined? Who benefits? Was the point to motivate Neal Pionk to force his way on the roster, only to demote him regardless of his performance?
If the Rangers were truly concerned about dressing the six-best defenseman on opening night, there isn’t a scenario where Neal Pionk would be left out of the line-up for any of the other names we’ve listed, let alone Marc Staal. Marc Staal didn’t earn the right to be in the line-up on opening night. His play didn’t dictate that he’s going to benefit from playing, and there’s isn’t a single player on the roster who should be carrying Staal’s play to bring his pairing back to a league-average rating.
The Rangers defense has a chance to be great this season, something it hasn’t been in years. Something it may have never been in any year under Alain Vigneault. Pairings of Ryan McDonagh-Kevin Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei-Brendan Smith, Anthony DeAgenlo-Neal Pionk is lethal, balanced and creating match-up problems for every team in the Eastern Conference.
And yet, here we are. Always in a position where we’re wanting more from this team. The season hasn’t even started yet and Rangers fans are feeling profoundly disappointed.
It doesn’t have to always be like this. Something can easily give early on in the season and a mistake can be corrected.
For now, though, one thing is brutally clear:
AV lied to us.
Author: Greg Kaplan
Greg Kaplan is a man of mystery. Did he write this? No. Was he asked to write this? Yes. But did he write this article? Maybe, do you like it?