Well, he’s 36 years old and well-past his prime, but the 16-year NHL veteran will certainly add blue line experience to the Flyers’ roster. Staal is most known for his long career with the New York Rangers. There, he played thirteen seasons, but he comes to Philadelphia from the Florida Panthers where he spent one year playing all 82 games.
The Flyers signed Staal in July, marking one of Danny Briere’s seminal moves as general manager. For now, Staal is in Philadelphia on a one-year, $1.1 million deal, but with the recent departure of Ivan Provorov, the Flyers might need his services for longer than a quick minute. The question about Staal isn’t so much “What will he provide?” We know what he provides. The question is instead “Will Staal’s contribution really make that much of a difference with the current state of the team?”
2022-23 Rundown
| Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | 5v5 CF% | 5v5 xGF% |
| 82 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 50.5 | 52.17 |
What did we see from Staal last season?
Even in the early stages of his career, Staal never proved to be a point scorer. In fact, despite averaging 11.75 points per season across his career, Staal’s last two seasons with Detroit and Florida exceeded his point-per-season average with 16 points and 15 points, respectively. Staal’s primary attribute is being a high-minute, low-mistake defenseman who, despite his age, isn’t afraid to block a shot or battle for a puck against the boards. In 2022-23, Staal averaged 18:12 minutes per game with 122 blocked shots and 152 recorded hits, and his time on ice increased in the playoffs when Staal’s veteran experience was utilized for 20:56 average minutes per game.
What type of role do we expect Staal to play this season?
Measuring in at 6’4″ and 208 pounds Staal certainly isn’t tiny. He is a large physical presence on the ice. The Flyers likely also hope that Staal could be an emotional and mental presence as well. There’s no need to rehash the same complaints about this team wanting big, strong, and physical defensemen. Those tiresome tropes, though true, serve no purpose other than to stir up frustration. In reality, the hope is that Staal can provide the Flyers more than height, weight, and the ability to punch someone.
When asking what Staal brings to the team, the dispositive issue isn’t so much what Staal can be; we know what he is capable of, as shown over the last 16 years in the league. Instead, the dispositive issue is what the Flyers hope to be, and no one really has an answer to this question.
In addition to the perpetually annoying desire to recreate the Broad Street Bullies uselessly physical play, Philly’s management has also been plagued by a “we need intangibles” approach. Keith Yandle. Andrew MacDonald. The Flyers have routinely sought out declining veterans in hopes that the team could an benefit from their “presence.” I’m sure there’s some truth to this strategy, but no one seems to be able to precisely identify it. In turn, the roster might be “experienced,” but it actually looks tired, old, and stale.
With that said, Staal will be one of very few 30+ year-old geriatrics this year. The team’s average age is getting progressively younger as new faces come up through the pipeline. It is, therefore, hard to complain about Briere’s pursuit of a veteran locker-room guy to replace the absolute poison that was Ivan Provorov. Briere has been very clear that he wants the younger players to grow and learn. “You know, again, we go back to my belief and our belief about the future of this team — we don’t believe in tanking, we want our players to improve,” he’s said. “They need some guidance. They need some guys that have been there, that have gone through it. (Staal’s) another big voice — especially on the back end — where we wanted to add a little bit of veteran presence.”
What would make for a successful season for Staal?
As a player gets up in age, the overall goal is to avoid any marked decline. This is particularly true in the case of the Flyers who don’t really have high team expectations to begin with. No one is looking for a back end offensive play driver. No one is looking for a creative, defensive goal scorer.
The hope is that Staal continues his veteran campaign where he left off with the Panthers. He will ideally average 18:00 – 20:00 minutes per night, locking down the d-zone to generate more offensive possessions. Truly, Staal’s tenure with the Flyers will be a success if he is able to positively influence his younger colleagues; yet, this metric is entirely unquantifiable.
In short, don’t expect big numbers or flashy highlights. You’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment. Staal’s on-ice play (and the Flyers’ season as a whole) should be accepted with patience and optimism.
