77

7

22

29

0.38

8

50

116

0.06

140

4

11

2

109

02:38

43.0

60.4

25:44

42.2

Taking the 10 closest cap hits for defencemen, and putting some numbers to those dollars we see some interesting things.

Staal is the youngest in that group and comparing these overall numbers in regards to points, hits, blocks and average time on-ice, Staal appears to be in the middle or near the bottom of most of those categories.  As I mentioned earlier, Staal's value in the NHL isn't really measured in numbers.

If we take these same ten players, plug their names into the Fantasy Hockey Geek tool and see how they sit fantasy wise (where the numbers truly count) using UHL Salary Cap Dynasty League format (G, A, +/-, PIMs, SOG, GWG, PPP, SHP, Hits, Blocks, FOW) we get them ranked overall like this:

All of a sudden, that new contract doesn't look so good after all when we are talking about fantasy hockey.

So what does this new contract mean for the New York Rangers?

The new contract for the Rangers locks up one of their core pieces long term.  This is a very good thing.  Unfortunately, it also ties their hands a bit as other contract negotiations with other players comes down the pipe.  Guys like Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Martin St. Louis and Carl Hagelin are all due to be re-signed this coming summer and Staal's bite into the Rangers cap will probably mean one of these pending free agents will not be returning to the team (my guess, Hagelin won't be back). 

Don't be surprised to see the Rangers shopping Zuccarello or Hagelin at the deadline.  J.T. Miller is also coming off his entry level deal at seasons end but re-signing him shouldn't be as big of an issue. Stepan and Hagelin are restricted free agents while Zuccarello and St. Louis are both unrestricted at the end of this year. 

Re-signing Staal was an easy choice for the Rangers.  Figuring the others out will be a lot harder.