PHILADELPHIA — There has been no progress whatsoever in the contract extension talks between the Rangers and Marc Staal, The Post has learned from several informed sources.
And that essentially is because there have been no meaningful talks for weeks between management and the 27-year-old defenseman’s camp.
The Rangers are believed to be offering Staal, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, the same six-year, $33 million deal ($5.5M per) to which they signed Dan Girardi last year when he was a pending free agent. They don’t appear inclined to move off that number.
Staal, two years younger than Girardi, is believed seeking at least $6 million per on a six- or seven-year deal, which he certainly would be able to get on the open market if he remains healthy throughout the season.
While there is no indication at the moment that Staal’s camp will officially break off negotiations at the start of the season, the current standstill has rendered the need for such a decision moot.
A year ago, as both Girardi and then-captain Ryan Callahan both went deep into the season without extensions while on the final season of their respective contracts, general manager Glen Sather made it clear he would trade them rather than allowing them to walk as free agents without a return.
Girardi signed days before the trade deadline when the Rangers finally met the defenseman’s fair market value asking price that had been on the table for three months. Callahan was traded to Tampa Bay (with two first-round draft picks) in exchange for Martin St. Louis after unusually public contract talks broke down.
In the wake of the Callahan trade, which followed weeks of intense trade speculation, Staal — who is not in the lineup for Tuesday’s exhibition match here against the Flyers — told The Post he had no interest in going through such a potentially disruptive scenario.
“You can say all you want that it’s not on your mind and it’s not a distraction, but it’s something that has to weigh on you,” the alternate captain said on March 8. “For me, the contract situation is definitely something I would like to take care of over the summer.
“That’s the goal, but that has to be the way management looks at it, too, in order to get it done.”
The Rangers, who have every right to consider themselves legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, have no one in sight within the organization even close to being able to fill the void that would result if Staal gets away.
At the moment, the Blueshirts are having a difficult enough time identifying a capable seventh defenseman, let alone a potential replacement for Staal to play top-four minutes.