No Contract Talks Between Marc Staal And New York Rangers

It seems general manager Glen Sather can never catch a break from contract negotiations. The latest being defenseman Marc Staal. This season is his last of his original five year, $19.875 million. An article written by Larry Brooks was published Monday on nypost.com about the contract negotiations. Or should I say lack of. Here is a small excerpt:

"“There has been no progress whatsoever in the contract extension talks between the Rangers and Marc Staal…And that essentially is because there have been no meaningful talks for weeks between management and the 27-year-old defenseman’s camp.”"

Keep in mind that the Rangers have several other players who will need contracts at the end of this season. Players such as Martin St Louis and Mats Zuccarello are set to be unrestricted free agents along with Staal. Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, and John Moore will be restricted free agents.

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All should garner pay raises in the offseason, depending on how well they perform this season. However, can Sather keep all the horses under the Madison Square Garden roof?

This question has plagued the cigar-loving Sather for several seasons. And with several young players showing promise for the organization this preseason, it may come time to cut ties.

If we go by Capgeek.com, several one year, low cap hit contracts will expire at the end of the season. Sather and company can trim some fat by choosing not to extend, Ryan Malone, Lee Stempniak, and Matt Kostka. That saves the organization under $2 million. That’s assuming these players do not have good years.

As a result, the organization may bring up their young prospects and at a cheaper salary cap hit. Anthony Duclair is one that has shown promise this preseason for the Rangers. Others include Kevin Hayes, the much discussed first round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.

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But in the end, it comes down to Marc Staal and the Rangers. Even though the salary cap is expected to be raised again next year, there is no guarantee that all expiring contracts will be meant. In the case of Staal, it is speculated that he is asking for at least $6 million over six to seven years. The team may be cautious when committing that much to a player that has gone through two horrific injuries in his career, one of those being a concussion. Also, they are already committing plenty of salary to the back end in the forms of Henrik Lundqvist and Dan Girardi.

Tough decisions await the Rangers organization. But knowing Glen Sather, he will chew on his cigar till something is done.