Red Wings acquire Marc Staal and second rounder in trade with Rangers

The Detroit Red Wings have begun their offseason moves, trading for Marc Staal and a second-round pick from the New York Rangers.

As the Detroit Red Wings start to hone in on their offseason activity, they have completed a trade with the New York Rangers. The Red Wings have acquired Marc Staal and a 2021 second-round pick for future considerations.

This is a prime example of General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman taking on some cap space with a sweetener thrown into the mix that makes the deal beneficial for the organization. Similar to the trade the Carolina Hurricanes made for Patrick Marleau with the Toronto Maple Leafs, getting a first-round draft choice in the deal as the sweetener.

Before even looking at the addition of Staal, note that this 2021 second-round pick becomes the third second-round pick that the Red Wings have in 2021. Barring any trades, this will be three straight years with three second-round draft choices.

More from Detroit Jock City

• Tigers Sign Manager A.J. Hinch to Long-Term Extension
• Lions vs. Bears Week 14 Opening Odds Disrespect Detroit
• Former Tigers Celebrate Jim Leyland Hall of Fame Call
• This Pistons Team Could be the Worst in Detroit Sports History
• 4 Free Agents Tigers Should Sign During Winter Meetings

A move like this allows Yzerman to add depth to the organization and keep building for the future with a plethora of draft prospects.

This second-round pick also is the piece that makes the trade “worth it” or is the sweetener for the Red Wings.

After thirteen seasons with the Rangers organization, Staal will move on to the Red Wings, where he will likely be dumped into top-four minutes right off the bat.

In 2019-20, Staal played in 52 games, where he scored two goals and tallied nine assists for 11 total points.

He may not be the most offensively inclined defenseman, but he provides help in the defensive zone, something the Red Wings desperately need.

The organization’s defensive woes will be receiving some help in the form of Staal. Giving up the most goals in the league in 2019-20 is not an accomplishment and something that needs to be improved upon, Staal will help with this.

While Staal’s Corsi For (CF%) may not be the prettiest, falling 5.4% below the team average at 43.3 CF%, he still is known for playing capable defense. He should provide help to the Red Wings backend.

Now, for the reasoning behind this trade, turn to Staal’s cap hit. Staal will enter the Red Wings organization as the top paid defenseman, with a $5.7 million cap hit. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season, so this is a reclamation project.

Even with a $5.7 million cap hit, the Red Wings could look to more Staal at the trade deadline if he finds success, and a team needs some defensive help. At a minimum, they get much-needed defensive zone help and eat some cap space while also getting a second-round pick.

Looking at this move, it SHOULD be the first of many for the Red Wings who could build a roster with rental players and bank on recouping value at the trade deadline. Detroit Jock City Co-Expert Bob Heyrman recently discussed this idea of letting Torey Krug go where he pleases, rather than pursuing him to pursue this strategy.

This trade could be the first domino to fall in an offseason full of trades that look to benefit the Red Wings organization for the long haul, rather than make an immediate impact. Keep an eye on Yzerman has he starts to build a competitor here in Detroit.

Anyone who disagrees, please see the Tampa Bay Lightning as an example.