Is John Moore’s future linked to fellow Rangers blueliner Marc Staal?

Right now, John Moore hasn’t earned a new deal with the New York Rangers. However the young, underperforming yet talented blueliner’s future may be closely linked to that of Marc Staal. This season the Rangers are discovering what too much roster turnover in one offseason can cause. Part of the Rangers’ problems to begin the year has been a lack of chemistry up front as well as on the blueline. So would the Rangers be willing to let Staal and Moore go? As well as potentially having to fill the other spot on the third pairing?

Staal is looking for a minimum of 5.5m per year. He hasn’t earned that type of deal when focussing on his performances this season. Moore (according to the Post) is likely to receive 1.5m per year in arbitration. Given that number is almost double his current salary it’s hard to see the Rangers agreeing to that kind of deal. These kind of numbers only add to the uncertainty surrounding Moore. In short, both defensemen have huge question marks in front of their Ranger futures.

Currently a healthy scratch, Moore hasn’t really done much to warrant an extension but the tantalising talent is still there and plenty of defenseman don’t peak until their mid twenties. Should the Rangers wait for Moore to find the next level? Their decision could depend on Marc Staal’s future.

A smooth skater, Moore is willing to play physical and at 6’3 and 200+ lbs he brings good size to the table and at least in theory offers a similar package to Staal. Staal is clearly the better natural defender but can Moore learn on the job? With the Rangers likely to investigate trade partners for Staal if his future isn’t cleared up by the deadline he will obviously garner a much greater return than Moore would. Moore’s trade value is at an all time low right now, despite his obvious talent.

Right now the Rangers need to improve their blueline but have little cap room to do so. The current lack of cap space may be a blessing in disguise for Moore, as to really address any need the Rangers will need to move out cap so moving Moore wouldn’t allow much of an upgrade. First and foremost Moore needs to fight his way back in to the line-up and show some consistency. If he can do that he may just have a bigger future in New York than Marc Staal.