For this team, Staal is a key component. He plays a hard, physical game. I am one to cut him a bit of slack-- he logs lots of ice time, plays a true 200 foot game, a key PK player, takes face offs at key times, and is one of our more physical players-- on offense and defense. He does not have a supporting cast in those regards. I am reminded of what Bill McKenzie once observed-- when you only have only one player of that ilk, you wear them down and they can sometimes go MIA. The body can only take so much wear and tear each game. I get it's early in the season, but I tend to keep that thought in the back of my head when Staal is playing an average game rather than a Jordan Staal game.
