New York Rangers: What to Do If Marc Staal Is Out Long-Term

Today, it was announced D Marc Staal did not participate during the New York Rangers' training camp. Staal had taken part in endurance skates during days one and two of camp but was held out of scrimmages on day three.

Rangers coach John Tortorella explained Staal was experiencing headaches and post-concussion-like symptoms stemming from a hit suffered against the Carolina Hurricanes.

A tweet sent out by the Rangers read,

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"Torts says that Marc Staal was not feeling well today, so #NYR sent him home...Torts calls it "fluid" situation"

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In a response to this situation, Andrew Gross of the Record tweeted,

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@AGrossRecord "Torts repeats from yesterday Rangers looking at options to add on D. Could be trade, could still be invite. He wants a veteran."

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This actually opens up a lot of possibilities for the Rangers. By taking a look at the current defensemen on the roster, the Rangers could move forward with the following pairings—

Pair One—Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh

Pair Two—Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger

Pair Three—Tim Erixon and Michael Del Zotto.

The most likely spot up for grabs is Del Zotto's. So far he hasn't exactly wooed Tortorella, who has been very impressed with Steve Eminger. Another tweet reads,

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@thenyrangers "Torts praises Steve Eminger as #NYR best defenseman first two days of scrimmages...also is pleased with Sauer return to scrimmage"

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With that in mind, there is a good chance that in Staal's absence, Eminger will inherit some ice time. Tim Erixon is a favorite out of the rookie defensemen to make the team but in Tortorella's exact words, he wants a veteran to potentially fill the void.

Also, the Rangers have limited cap space at the time being and they would need to add a veteran defender that currently isn't signed. I really wouldn't want to waste valuable trade assets on a temporary fix.

The Rangers could easily call up Pavel Valentenko or Blake Partlett to fill the spot, but Tortorello wants a veteran.

I am going to take an idea suggested by Kevin DeLury of the NYR Blog. In his analysis of the Staal situation, he had this to say—

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"While I thought the McCabe trade last year was a bust, I wonder if the Rangers would give him a call since he's yet to sign with a new team yet."

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It may sound crazy but it's a sound idea. McCabe would be entering a completely new situation this year. When he was brought into the fold last year, his role was to run the power play. He couldn't get it going and fans were disappointed.

Now that Brad Richards is in the fold as the power play quarterback, McCabe could eat up some ice time on the third pairing and mentor young players as well. If necessary, he could log power play time with Richards.

In theory, McCabe could find success now that he would only have to be responsible for unleashing his powerful one-timer off a Richards feed.

As a Rangers fan, I am very worried about Marc Staal. He is one of the league's up and coming All-Star defenders and I would hate for him to miss significant time this season.

Everyone has seen how Sidney Crosby was affected by a concussion and fans can only hope that his headaches and symptoms subside soon.

Rangers fans—are you worried about Marc Staal and the Rangers' current defensive situation? Who do you think the Rangers could bring in to fill up the gap left by Staal?

How would you feel about these potential defensive pairings for the Rangers? 

Girardi—McDonagh

Sauer—Eminger

Erixon—McCabe

Leave a comment in the section below to get the conversation going.

Click this link for all your scrimmage results courtesy of Jesse Spector at the NY Daily News.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist and New York Rangers Featured Columnist.

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