16-year veteran defenceman Trevor Daley announced his retirement from the NHL today. His last season with the Detroit Red Wings was his first without scoring a goal, and his worst all-around possession game. Over 43 games, Daley managed just seven assists with a 41 percent Corsi and 40.8 percent Fenwick. He had some bad luck on a historically bad team, acting as a pair with the young Filip Hronek or Madison Bowey. Unfortunately, this worst season was also his last.
Two Stanley Cups and 1,000+ games. Congrats on a great career, Trevor Daley! 👏@NHLdotcom has more ➡️ https://t.co/scUaUkfaub pic.twitter.com/nVcwVDh5HD
— NHL (@NHL) October 26, 2020
Trevor Daley Retires From Professional Hockey
In a year when right-handed defenders are in high demand, the market is a little bit thinner with this news. Daley has over 1,000 regular-season NHL games to his credit, and 71 more in the playoffs. The 37-year old will be remembered for the defensive aspects of his game for his experience, not for his scoring. The two Stanley Cup rings he carried into the dressing room didn’t hurt, either. In his 36 playoff games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015-16 and 2016-17, he scored two goals and 11 points. He was a big part of those teams, averaging over 20 minutes per game. That experience ended up as the highlights of his career.
What This Means for the Future
For Daley, his role in the NHL will continue, just not as a player. The Penguins immediately announced after his retirement that they’ve brought Daley into their front office as a Hockey Operations advisor, beginning Daley’s managerial career. The Penguins were busy today, also firing assistant general manager Jason Karmanos. He also served as the general manager of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Erik Heasley, Pittsburgh’s manager of hockey operations, has been named as his interim replacement.
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