Staal Undergoes Surgical Procedure On Infected Ankle
The veteran d-man will be off the ice for at least half a month
Earlier this afternoon, the New York Rangers announced on Twitter that alternate captain and veteran defenseman Marc Staal underwent surgery to deal with an infection in his ankle.
Not much else is known at this point, but it is important to note that he will be re-evaluated in two weeks, so it is possible he could be out longer than that.
UPDATE: Marc Staal underwent a surgical procedure for an infection in his ankle and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 9, 2019
Staal recently returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for three games in a row, and this situation is going to provide young blueliners like Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren a big opportunity.
Staal’s -8.39 xGF% is the second-worst among Rangers blueliners and his -8.93 Rel CF% is the worst among Rangers skaters this season. After scoring a goal in the first game of the season, Staal has just one point — an assist — in his last 10 games. He hasn’t missed more than 10 games in a season since 2012-13.
All data courtesy of naturalstattrick.com.
