New York Rangers Had To Pull Trigger On Eric Staal Deal

The New York Rangers made a big splash by acquiring Eric Staal from the Carolina Hurricanes. Staal will instantly upgrade the Rangers in the middle and is a player who can win faceoffs, has won a Stanley Cup and has shown an ability to step it up in the playoffs. It was a low-cost gamble that Rangers GM Jeff Gorton had to make which will improve the team’s chances of getting back to the Stanley Cup this year and not hope the window will stay open for another year or two.

That is what this move is all about — making the Stanley Cup and winning it while Henrik Lundqvist is still at the top of his game. Elite goalies don’t come around very often. Any Rangers fan can tell you that. Names of busted goalie prospects like Corey Hirsch and Dan Blackburn still cause fans to roll their eyes. They can also remind you that Al Montoya was the Rangers’ top pick, sixth overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft while Lundqvist was found with the No. 205 overall selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

The Rangers need to maximize their chances of winning a Stanley Cup with Lundqvist still at the top of his game. Any hockey fan can tell you that a hot goaltender can make all the difference in a seven-game series, and any Rangers fan can tell you that Lundqvist represents the Rangers’ best chance of bringing home a Stanley Cup. That is why Staal now finds himself saying goodbye to one brother, Jordan, and saying hello to his other brother, Marc.

Staal makes the Rangers better in front of Lundqvist. He has a track record of producing in the playoffs, and the Rangers are hoping the chance of winning a Cup elevates Staal’s game back to an elite level. That might be wishful thinking on the part of the Rangers, but they didn’t give up much, at least nothing that will help them win in the next few years.

Prospects are hard to part with, as are draft picks. After all, that draft pick could lead to another Lundqvist or to an all-world forward. But that is years away. The Rangers’ window isn’t going to stay open forever, and they aren’t built to win years from now; they are built to win now which is why they had to make the deal for Staal.