Now that the who was pretty much taken care of, the Rangers can turn their attention to when and where.
Most notably, that means coach Alain Vigneault has figured out which defensemen made the team, but now needs to decide how he is going to utilize the revamped backend, and how veteran Marc Staal is going to fit into the picture.
For almost a decade, Staal was a stalwart on the Blueshirts’ blue line. But time and injuries have caught up to him, just as they did to his longtime running mate, Dan Girardi, who had the remaining three years on his contract bought out this summer.
But Staal is still on the team, and will more than likely begin the season in the lineup with a rather long leash established from his previous success and experience. So far through training camp, Staal has seemed reenergized and has given the coaching staff some renewed confidence.
“I thought he’s played well,” Vigneault said recently, with his team getting a day off Saturday before a practicing in Westchester on Sunday and then leaving for Lake Placid for two days of team building leading up to the regular season opener Oct. 5 at the Garden against the Avalanche.
“I mean, he has been skating well, he’s been good in his 1-on-1’s,” Vigneault said. “The defending part of his game has always been there. I think he’s made some good decisions with the puck and I’m happy with the attitude he came with in camp and the work ethic he’s put forward.”
Yet the biggest difference is the franchise now has some attractive options if Staal does falter. It started when general manager Jeff Gorton signed the biggest free agent on the market, righty defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He also brought in some youth with 21-year-old Anthony DeAngelo, coming in the Derek Stepan trade with the Coyotes, as well as signing college free agent Neal Pionk out of Minnesota-Duluth.
DeAngelo made the team out of camp, while Pionk will start his first pro season with AHL Hartford, going with other promising defensive prospects Ryan Graves, Sean Day and Alexei Bereglazov. Yet along with veterans Steven Kampfer and Nick Holden currently on the roster, there are options on the backend with some serious skating ability behind the top four of Ryan McDonagh, Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith.
“We always talk about that, it’s something we need — every organization needs that, right?” Gorton said when asked about the influx of youth. “It’s something that it’s a faster game, younger guys coming in and pushing. A lot of guys are close and they could be here, but in certain situations, we need guys playing and getting better.”
Staal, 30, has four more years left on his contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $5.7 million. He has never been the fleetest of foot, but his reach, positioning, and physicality had always made him a stout defender. But as Gorton noted, the game has gotten faster and is more predicated on speed and skating than ever before.
The Rangers will see if Staal can still hang within the first few weeks of the season. And from there, Vigneault will have a better idea of where Staal is in the hierarchy or his blueline.
“Have decisions to make on defense,” Vigneault said. “Guys are pushing for ice time, pushing for roles.We’ve got five practice days, we’ve got stuff laid out in Lake Placid, and we’re going to use that time very efficiently.”