Eric Staal is still getting his bearings. The ink has barely dried on the pre-deadline deal that saw the former Hurricanes captain shipped to the New York Rangers, so it's understandable if the man who called Carolina home for the last 13 NHL seasons is slowly working his way to a consistent level of comfort with the Broadway Blueshirts.
Four games into his Rangers tenure, Staal has just one goal and one assists in about 16:08 minutes of ice time per night. But New York GM Jeff Gorton didn't pick up Staal to help the Rangers make the postseason dance - he picked up Staal because he wanted to elevate his team once the NHL playoffs were in full swing. And if what Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault is considering comes to fruition once the regular season ends, there's every reason to believe the Rangers will be an extremely difficult out this year.
"It is something that I am juggling with right now in my mind," Vigneault said of a potential Staal-Rick Nash pairing. "I could use [Nash] with Eric. That could make it more challenging for the opposition as far as who they're going to try to match up against. Once we get everybody in the same room, everybody playing, we'll figure it out."
Nash, unfortunately, has now missed the last 19 Rangers games with a bone bruise in his left leg. The big winger has begun skating again, but the expectation is that he won't be ready for the Rangers' bout against the moribund Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
But Nash, like Staal, isn't a piece the Rangers are worried about fitting into the puzzle right now. Sure, getting the two together would be great, as would giving them an opportunity to work on their chemistry prior to the postseason.
And with Staal looking like he's finally getting his feet under him - his two Rangers points came during the team's most recent outing against the New York Islanders, a game in which Staal also won 20 of his 22 faceoff attempts and played alongside youngsters Oscar Lindberg and Viktor Stalberg - the playoff picture on Broadway looks bright.
But it's going to take a little time for everything to come together for Vigneault's group. From the sounds of things though, Staal is already well on his way to settling in.
"These guys have been extremely welcoming and want me to fit in, want me to feel as part of the group as anyone else, which is awesome and what you want as a guy coming in," Staal said. "I feel like a Ranger, no question."
