Staal (personal) is expected to be back in the lineup Thursday against the Leafs, Newsday's Steve Zipay reports.

EDGE Analysis

Staal missed Wednesday's matchup against the Blackhawks while he and his wife awaited the birth of their second child, and although there hasn't been an official announcement from the team, the defenseman seems likely to be available Thursday. If he does need to miss another game, Dylan McIlrath would be the likely candidate to stay in the starting lineup.

Staal (personal) is not on the ice for pregame warmups, indicating he will not be in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup with Chicago, Newsday's Steve Zipay reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Staal attending to personal matters Wednesday, Dylan McIlrath will hold onto his spot in the Rangers' lineup for at least one more game. Staal could return to action as soon as Thursday against Toronto, so expect an update on his status ahead of that contest.

Staal may not play in Wednesday night's game against the Blackhawks, as he and his wife are expecting the birth of their second child, the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

It's possible that Staal could miss only part of the game, but all things being equal, it seems likeliest that he'll stick around rather than dashing off to make it into Wednesday's lineup. He didn't attend the team's optional morning skate, adding some fuel to the possibility that Dylan McIlrath will hold onto a spot in the lineup for at least one more night. Staal's had little to offer in the fantasy realm this year, as he has just 13 points and isn't a huge contributor in hits or blocked shots.

Staal scored just his second goal of the year Thursday, but it was the Rangers' only tally in a 3-1 loss to the Islanders.

EDGE Analysis

Staal's only other goal this year came nearly three months ago, back on Oct. 19 against the Sharks, and he came into Thursday's action with zero shots on goal in the prior five games. Once upon a time, Staal was considered to have an offensive future -- he scored eight goals in 2009-10 and had 11 power-play points in 2010-11 -- but he's been a much more defensively oriented player since returning from his 2011-12 concussion issues. That doesn't project to change.

Staal logged an assist in Sunday's loss to Washington.

EDGE Analysis

The point is his first in four games giving Staal just three assists in 10 games this December. Still, 11 points in 35 games isn't too bad and certainly warrants consideration in the deepest formats or generous daily match-ups.

Staal collected an assist in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over Florida.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran defenseman also logged a plus-1 and two penalty minutes. Staal, who gets on the scorer's sheet for the second time in three games, now has a goal and six assists and plus-9 through 20 games.

Staal contributed an assist in Thursday's 4-1 victory over Arizona.

EDGE Analysis

Wow, that's three points in Staal's last two contests. Don't call it comeback because it's not likely to last. While it's nice to see the former 30-point defenseman notching points, there's really few formats we can recommend the veteran blue liner.

Staal scored a goal and added an assist in Monday's 4-0 win over the visiting Sharks.

EDGE Analysis

The points are the first of the season for the stay-at-home blueliner, who's not known as much of a scorer. In eight NHL seasons, Staal topped out at 29 points in 2010-11 and hasn't surpassed 20 since, so you'd need to be in the deepest of pools to make use of his services on the back end.

Staal will not do his on-ice testing until next week, Andrew Gross of The Record reports.

EDGE Analysis

The report also notes that Staal is being held back until next week strictly as a precautionary measure after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his ankle in June. The veteran defender should be at full strength for the Rangers' regular season opener against the Blackhawks on Oct. 7.

Staal underwent surgery Thursday to remove bone chips from his ankle and should be recovered in time for training camp. It was already expected that Staal would be ready for training camp, so this isn't much of a concern for 2015-'16. If he has time to fully recover over the offseason, the surgery should decrease risk of another injury.