New York Rangers Made Best Possible Deal For Eric Staal

Is Eric Staal the best fit for the New York Rangers? That’s debatable.

Does he make them better? Absolutely.

The only reason he makes them better is because general manager Jeff Gorton did not have to gut his current roster, or trade any of his current young stars or major prospects to obtain him. On Sunday, Gorton traded two second-round draft picks and prospect Aleksi Saarela to the Carolina Hurricanes for Staal.

Last year, the Rangers gave a king’s ransom to the Arizona Coyotes to obtain Keith Yandle. This year, they made a minor dent into their future. It is the best possible deal the Rangers could have made, and the message is loud and clear — they’re going for it again.

Staal is not the lethal offensive force he once was, but the hope is that with a change of scenery, playing for a contender and skating alongside brother Marc Staal, Eric will be a lethal force come playoff time. The likelihood of this happening is good because the current roster remains intact. Originally, the thought was the Rangers would have to give up another first-round draft pick plus any one of Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller or Oscar Lindberg. All remain on the roster, and it gives the Rangers depth and makes them better overall.

If coach Alain Vigneault chooses to use Staal as a winger, he can easily slot into one of the top two lines. If he uses him as a center, he instantly becomes their No. 1, and the Rangers will have the depth at the position necessary to go on a deep run. With Rick Nash still hurt, it seems more likely he will slot into the wing for now. Upon his return, Vigneault will have the option to slot him into the center position.

The time is now for the Rangers. They are a better team than they were two months ago, and they are rounding into the form that catalyzed them on deep playoff runs the last four seasons. Now, they may finally have the scoring depth that will put them over the top.