THUNDER BAY – Marc Staal is hoping the more things change, the more things stay the same with the New York Rangers.
The veteran defenceman, who turned 31 last season, watched the NHL club slide to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings, deal away a huge chunk of its veteran core, miss the playoffs for the first time in eight years and fire head coach Alain Vigneault after five seasons behind the bench.
Halfway through a six-year, $34.2-million deal signed in 2015, Staal for the second straight season is the subject of plenty of offseason buyout rumours, as the potentially rebuilding Rangers look to shed his contract and create cap space flexibility.
But until he’s told otherwise, the 11-year veteran fully expects to be back in camp with the Broadway Blueshirts come September, helping guide the team’s young blue-line as one of the team’s leaders on and off the ice.
He’s heard the whispers, but isn’t too worried at this point.
“I still don’t consider myself old,” said Staal, who scored once an added seven assists in 72 games this season, his poorest offensive output since 2011-12, when he missed 36 games due to injury.
“I’m 31, so I guess I’m old in the NHL, but I found it easier not to worry or stress about what’s going to happen. What I’ve always tried to do is make sure I do my work off the ice to get prepared for the season and play my best when the time comes. We’ll see where it goes from there.”
Interviewed hours before the Rangers made it official and announced the hiring of Boston University’s David Quinn to coach the team, Staal said it’s been a season of change in New York, with Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, Nick Holden and Ryan McDonagh ushered out of town at the deadline.
“It’s a year full of changes, obviously, and not the way anyone thought it would go down,” said Staal, now the second-longest serving Ranger behind goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, having joined the team in 2007.
“That’s life in the NHL and the changes are being made for the better to get to the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. We’ll see how everything shakes out in September. I think everyone’s excited to start up again.”
He’s excited to take on even more of a leadership role, saying he’s learned a lot from being part of a lot of veteran teams.
“Even the last few months was a little bit of a change, being so many young guys on the team. But I found it fun. You come to work and they’re excited and their energy is infectious,” said Staal, who returned home to Thunder Bay last weekend for an extended summer break.
“For me, I’ve never tried to change who I am or what I do on and off the ice. I’ll lend a hand when I have to or when someone asks and just do my job and lead by example. That part of it won’t change too much.”
Ideally, he’d love to remain a Ranger for life, as unlikely as it is in today's NHL.
“It’s very rare, obviously. I’ve been very fortunate to have been in the same place for a long time. A lot of the people in this organization are like family to me and I’ve been very blessed that way,” he said.
“It’s something I don’t really think about on a daily basis. In the NHL things can change very quickly and I’m always ready for that.”
