Trevor Daley was a veteran defensive defenceman in the NHL. The 5’11, 199 lbs. defenceman is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was selected 43rd overall in the second round in the 2002 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars. Despite being drafted by the Stars, Daley had a successful time as the Penguins defenceman and loved it there so much, he decided to still help them today.
Who Is Penguins Defenceman Trevor Daley?
Trevor Daley spent 16 seasons in the NHL as a defenceman playing from 2003 to 2020. Daley spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Dallas Stars which was also his longest tenured team. However, he also spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he was on both Stanley Cup winning teams. The two Stanley Cups he won with the Penguins were the only two he won in his career.
Daley finished his career with 89 goals and 220 assists for a total of 309 points. He appeared in 1,058 games and had a career +/- of -8.
However, his Penguins tenure was different in a good way statistically. In 109 career games with the Penguins, Daley had 41 points (11 goals, 31 assists) and had a +/- of 15. In comparison, he spent 55 more games with the Detroit Red Wings, yet had ten more points with the Penguins.
Daley’s last season in the NHL was with the Red Wings in the 2019-20 season where he appeared in 43 games, had seven assists and was a -22. He then announced his retirement.
Reunion & Rich History
Post retirement, Daley was not away from the game of hockey very long. Instantly after, he was named Hockey Operations advisor in the Penguins front office.
However, he did have a very brief stint back in hockey as he signed with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL during the 2021-22 season. He only appeared in two games and was back with the Penguins.
Daley was hired by Penguins former general manager Jim Rutherford. Luckily for him, Daley was able to survive Rutherford leaving as well as his successor Ron Hextall. His relationship with current general manager Kyle Dubas is a great one as the two have known each other for a long time and go way back.
In the early 2000s, Daley was playing in the Ontario Hockey League while Dubas was the teams dressing room attendant and stick boy. Dubas also gave Daley the phone number of his future wife Kristy West.
Dubas continued to show his love and support towards Daley as he promoted him to Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations and GM.
What Is Trevor Daley Up To Today?
As mentioned earlier, Daley is the Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations and GM. His specific job requirements are assisting in player evaluations at both the NHL and AHL level as well as participating in on-ice development.
One guy specifically Daley would have the most similarities and easier time developing is Owen Pickering. Daley can relate to Pickering as both are defenseman. Pickering’s success at the NHL level is crucial to a Penguins team with a rather mediocre prospect system.
Whether Daley is on the ice or off, he seems to always help the Pittsburgh Penguins contribute to winning one way or the other.
Main Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
