Bobby Bevilacqua

For the last two games, Marc Staal has been held out of the lineup with what the Rangers stated as an “upper-body injury.” Well according to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, it seems like the injury that has kept him out of the lineup is actually post-concussion syndrome.

Here’s what Larry Brooks wrote in his article;

Marc Staal’s status is unclear for the short-term as he recovers from apparent post-concussion symptoms that sidelined him for the Rangers’ final two games prior to this bye week, The Post has learned.

Staal, who has been working out at the club’s practice facility this week, did not go through the NHL’s concussion protocol after he was held out of last week’s games in Philadelphia and Columbus with what was announced as an unidentified “upper body” injury.

Staal must have gotten the concussion in the Jan. 3 game against the Sabres. There’s no timetable for his return, as there rarely is with concussions, but this does make understanding the issue clearer.

Unfortunately, this is not the first concussion that Marc Staal has gotten. Back in 2011 he had a particularly devastating one after his brother, Eric, hit him and caused Marc to miss a significant amount of time. Concussions are a serious issue, and the fact that Marc Staal has had them in the past means that this could be pretty serious.

It’s also unfortunate that it’s come during a season where Staal has really rebounded and was playing much better than last season. Him and Nick Holden formed a good pairing for a large chunk of the first half of the season. 

Adam Clendening has filled in for the time being and that will be the situation for a little while. He’s played pretty well and scored a goal with an assist against the Blue Jackets. Some consistent playing time might actually help him start settling into his game.

But a long-term pairing of Adam Clendening and Kevin Klein is not ideal. So this might force the Rangers hand into a trade for a defenseman.