New York Rangers: Top 3 potential compliance buyout candidates
95. . Defenseman. New York Rangers. Marc Staal. 2. player
Contract: One year left, $5.7 million cap hit, $4.2 million salary ($1 million signing bonus)
Why he could be bought out: As I mentioned earlier, the Rangers are likely going to do whatever they can to open up a spot on their blueline this summer. Top defenseman prospect K’Andre Miller just signed his entry-level contract and should push for a roster spot as soon as the start of the 2020-21 season. If he didn’t think he had a good chance of doing so, he likely would have returned to college.
There’s also young defensemen Libor Hajek and Yegor Rykov. Both aren’t too far away from being ready to compete for full-time NHL jobs and the former has treaded water in 33 NHL games over the last two seasons.
So yup, the Rangers are probably getting rid of a defenseman and Marc Staal might make the most sense. His no-movement clause makes him much more difficult to get rid of than Smith, so a trade isn’t a realistic option. Plus, Staal has objectively been one of the Rangers worst defensemen as far as on-ice results are concerned.
Why they might keep him: The New York Rangers are probably going to have a fairly young blue line next season. If Staal gets bought out and Smith is a regular healthy scratch, assuming they add no one from outside the organization, Jacob Trouba would be their oldest defenseman at 26 years old. That might save Staal’s job.
Verdict: Staal’s probably a goner if there’s more than one compliance buyout and they’re allowed to use both in one offseason. Miller is left-handed just like Staal, so that doesn’t help his case at all.