Staal has agreed to a six-year contract extension with the Rangers worth $5.7 million per season, ESPN.com reports. Staal, who has recorded two goals and six assists in 42 games this season, had been on track to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He's only a factor in deeper fantasy formats, but his steady presence on the team's blue line is clearly valued by the Rangers.

Staal and the Rangers are close to agreeing on a six-year contract extension, ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun reports. The deal is expected to be worth about $5.7 million per year and go into effect immediately, as Staal would otherwise be headed for unrestricted free agency after the season. With only eight points in 42 games on the campaign, Staal isn't an especially prolific defenseman for fantasy purposes, but the Rangers value him for his steady play in his own zone.

Staal and the rest of his team was blanked 3-0 by the Islanders on Tuesday. There were some milestones for the now 28-year-old defenseman who played in his 500th NHL game. However, perhaps due to a two minute penalty, for the first time this campaign, Staal logged less than 18-minutes of ice time. In his eight season, it's looking less likely that Staal (seven points in 40 games) will ever approach the 25-point mark again.

Staal (personal) will play Saturday against the Sabres, Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record reports. Staal was not present at Friday's practice or Saturday's morning skate, having been away from the team attending the funeral of his grandfather, and coach Alain Vigneault expressed some concern about Staal's legs. Apparently, Staal was able to convince Vigneault that he would be fine, as the 27-year-old defenseman took warmups and will be in uniform against Buffalo.

Staal (personal) is a game-time decision for Saturday's tilt with the Sabres, Steve Zipay of Newsday reports. While Staal isn't dealing with an injury, he's been away from the team the last two days to tend to a personal matter, and coach Alain Vigneault isn't certain if the blueliner is mentally prepared to play. The presumption is that Staal will remain in the lineup Saturday, but Vigneault likely won't make an official decision on him until after the Rangers complete their pregame warmup.

Staal has been held off the scorer's sheet in 11 straight games. It's fair to say to Staal's fantasy relevance hasn't been the same since the 2010-11 season when he posed 29-points in 77 games. While he's managed to stay healhty, with just four points in 26 games played and no other peripherals to write home about, there's simply no reason to suggest his services at this time.

Staal ended his 11-game scoring drought Tuesday with a pair of assists in a 5-0 win over Pittsburgh. While Staal still doesn't have a goal this season, his fantasy owners have to be happy with what they can get. Staal has offensive skill, but he's concentrating more on the defensive end right now. As a result, owners in leagues that count hits and blocked shots have been made reasonably happy by the 27-year-old blueliner.

Staal has two points (both assists) in three games this season. Having compiled just 14 points in 72 regular season tilts last season, it's reasonable to speculate the 27-year-old could return to a 20-points-or-more campaign pace. However, we'll wait for a bigger sampling before we make any moves to grab the top-four blue liner from the free agent pool in standard formats.

Marc Staal has one year left on his current contract. He would like to get something worked out this summer, but added that it wouldn't be a big deal if it didn't happen. Staal appeared in 72 games during the 2013-14 campaign after he was limited to 21 during the lockout-shortened season and 46 outings the year before.

Coach Alain Vigneault has been impressed by Marc Staal. "I think he's a guy this year that has improved throughout the year," Vigneault said. "We always knew he was a good defender and he's still one of the best defenders in the league in my opinion but he's also, this year, he's improved his puck decisions." He's played well on a pairing with Anton Stralman. Staal has two points and a plus-7 rating in eight games during this playoffs.