Updated at 7:41 PM: Red Wings defenseman Marc Staal was introduced to the media today via a conference call…
And the Wings’ beat writers took note of Staal’s remarks, including the Free Press’s Helene St. James…
“I didn’t really have much of a heads-up,” Staal said Tuesday from his home in Connecticut. “Just got called and they told me I was on my way to Detroit. Obviously, it was surprising and shocking when it happens. This is the only place I’ve been my whole career, it’s been home to me for a very long time.
“After the shock of it kind of wore off and I started thinking about it more, talking to the coaching staff and Steve, that shock turned more to excitement. We had a really good talk. Talking with him makes you feel a lot more comfortable with where the team is heading. You’re going to an outstanding franchise, beautiful new rink. It’s an Original Six, so I get to go from one great franchise to the next. I’m excited to be a part of that. I think it’s a pretty good situation I’m walking into.”
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Staal has spent the past couple of weeks acclimatizing to coming to a new team; chatting with Yzerman made a difference.
“A lot of the conversation was him trying to relieve the shock of what happened and try to speak good things about Detroit,” Staal said, “which I know pretty well already. I’ve known a lot of guys who play there and speak very highly of it. That part I wasn’t really too worried about. The next thing was, just the opportunity to come in and be a big part of the team and play some minutes and be a guy that’s counted upon every night. I’m looking forward to that responsibility.”
The Red Wings had multiple reasons to make the deal. They add a good-sized, experienced, left-shooting defenseman (6-4, 209) who will help boost a unit that was arguably the NHL’s worst in 2019-20 and they hope will help their league-worst penalty kill. They received a second-round pick in the deal, giving them three second-round selections in 2021. They had ample room to assume his $5.7 million cap hit and have the option of moving his expiring contract at the trade deadline for another pick.
In the meantime, Staal is eager to help the rebuild efforts. He was glad to see Yzerman upgrade the defense by signing Troy Stecher and Jon Merrill in free agency in addition to adding forwards Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov, his former Rangers teammate, and goaltender Thomas Greiss. The three new defensemen join fellow veterans Danny DeKeyser and Patrik Nemeth and young Filip Hronek to form the unit’s top six.
Talking to Yzerman made him more comfortable with where the team is heading.
“A lot of the conversation was him trying to relieve the shock of what happened and speaking about things in Detroit and the area, which I know pretty well already,” Staal said. “I’ve known a lot of guys that have played there that speak very highly of Detroit. So that part of it I wasn’t too worried about. I think the next thing was just the opportunity to come in and be a big part of the team and play some minutes and be a guy that’s counted upon every night. I’m looking forward to that responsibility and going in and playing some of my best hockey.
“I want to come in and play well, play hard and help the team win. Leading by example, if that rubs off on some young guys in how I approach the game and it helps them, then that’s great for everyone.”
And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
Going from a playoff team like the Rangers — who are adding No. 1 overall draft pick Alexis Lafreniere — to the Wings doesn’t bother Staal, who saw how quickly a rebuild can work.
The Rangers missed the playoffs two consecutive seasons before making this year’s 24-team postseason, having been nine games above .500 (37-28-5) when the season was paused due to the pandemic.
“I don’t think you’re ever too far from winning,” Staal said. “I wasn’t there (Detroit) last year, obviously, so I can’t speak on what was going on with the team, but every time we played them they were a very detailed team that wasn’t easy to beat by any means. They just need to get over the hump where success in winning games becomes a regularity.
“You’re never as far off as you think and you’re never as far off from losing as you think. They have some very good young players and I’ve seen the (free agent) signings of the last couple weeks, so I’m coming in there and ready to help this team get better and win games.”
Update: Here’s more from DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter:
Staal spoke to the local media on Tuesday for the first time since being acquired by the Wings on September 26 and said he was originally shocked about the news of the trade, but the shock immediately turned to excitement for a new opportunity and a fresh start with another Original Six franchise.
“A lot of the conversation was him trying to relieve the shock of what happened and speaking about things in Detroit and the area,” Staal said about his first conversation with Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman. “I’ve known a lot of guys that have played there that speak very highly of Detroit. So that part of it, I wasn’t too worried about.
“I think the next thing was just the opportunity to come in and be a big part of the team and be a guy that’s counted on every night. I’m looking forward to that responsibility and playing some of my best hockey.”
In 892 career games, Staal has 43 goals, 145 assists and is plus-46. The 6-foot-4, 214-pound blueliner has produced double-digit points in seven of the last eight seasons and has been a mainstay as a top-four defenseman in New York, playing an average of 76 games per season from 2014-2019.
After that initial conversation with Yzerman, Staal said he’s not bothered by going from a playoff team to a rebuilding team because of Yzerman’s guidance, the Red Wings’ tradition and Detroit’s talented core in place.
“I feel a lot more comfortable about where the team is heading and going to an outstanding franchise, beautiful new rink and it’s an Original Six (franchise),” Stall said. “So I get to go from one great franchise to the next, and I’m excited to be part of that. It’s a pretty good situation that I’m walking into.”
