Just one question for the mailbag this week, but it’s a doozy. Don’t forget that you can always submit questions for the mailbag by using the form on the right.

Hawkeye2124 asks: Is there any chance the Rangers move Staal/Girardi this summer? If Gorts somehow pulled this magic, would he be able to keep everyone including E.Staal? Does Dan Boyle, and Tanner Glass (who will be in the AHL next season hopefully) coming off the books help?

This is a loaded question. First, I don’t think there is any possibility the Rangers keep Eric Staal this summer. He won’t get $8 million, like his current deal, but the Rangers are deep at center and have Pavel Buchnevich on an ELC (likely) coming next year. Cheap talent is how you win in this league.

Second, Glass most likely isn’t going anywhere. It’s clear Alain Vigneault likes him on the fourth line and trusts him on the fourth line. So, it’s just Boyle’s $4.5 million coming off the books.

Now to the meat of the question. Being realistic, both Marc Staal and Dan Girardi aren’t going anywhere. The coach trusts them, they have a good reputation, and they have massive contracts with no-move clauses.

That said, any contract can be moved. We saw this with David Clarkson and Dion Phaneuf. It’s doable, just don’t expect a major return. I’m not going to beat this to death again, but it’s clear the Rangers need to move one or both –both isn’t happening, it’s just one– of Staal/Girardi in order to stay competitive. It’s painfully obvious at this point. And if they can move one, Keith Yandle needs to be retained.

The Rangers have a tough summer ahead, and their moves will dictate a lot of their future success. The team has some bad contracts, and it’s a matter of swallowing their pride to better the team. Will they do it? No one knows.

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