Staal played in 72 games in 2017-18, pitching in one goal and seven assists while going plus-11.

EDGE Analysis

Despite seeing two minutes more of playing time after Ryan McDonagh was dealt at the deadline, Staal wasn't able to take advantage point wise, and just missed recording his sixth straight 10-point season by two tallies. That could be partially due to his career low 1.5 shooting percentage, as he'd never posted a season below three since his rookie campaign. Regardless, Staal was still sound defensively, posting the best plus-minus on the Rangers, while also chipping in 76 blocked shots and 96 hits. The assistant captain will return in 2018-19 for the fourth season of his six year contract, and figures to slot into one of the top two pairings once again.