Detroit Red Wings: 4 pending UFA’s to consider re-signing this offseason
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Red Wings should bring back Marc Staal.
I will be the first to admit that I never in a million years expected to write this in an article, but the Detroit Red Wings should seriously consider bringing back veteran defenseman Marc Staal.
Before the start of last season, Yzerman made a deal for Staal as the New York Rangers wanted to free up salary-cap space. Detroit had and still has an abundance of cap space, and the Rangers threw in a second-round draft pick into the deal to encourage the Red Wings to make the deal.
Let’s not mix words, the deal was built around the draft capital, and Detroit landed it by absorbing the $5.7 million owed to Staal last season for virtually nothing, giving up just ‘future considerations’ which usually translates to cash consideration or a late-round future draft chouse like a seventh-rounder.
When the Red Wings added Staal, I compared him to former Red Wing Jonathan Ericsson but here’s the thing though, Staal performed far better than I ever anticipated.
The 34-year old Thunder Bay native should have a few suitors this offseason but don’t rule out a return to Detroit.
It’s a Red Wings organization that will need NHL-caliber defenders to help bring the young prospects along at the NHL level. Staal is a perfect leader and role model for the Mo Seiders’ Albert Johanssons’ and Gustav Lindstroms’ of the world moving forward.
Staal appeared in all of Detroit’s 56 games this past season, scoring three goals and totaling ten points. Staal skated to a minus -5 rating while averaging 18:25 minutes of ice-time, which isn’t horrible considering how awful the Red Wings performed in 2021.