Former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman, Marc Staal, officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday after a lengthy and successful 17-year career.
Staal signed with the Flyers last summer on a one-year deal for depth and leadership purposes after having spent the previous season with the Florida Panthers, who ultimately fell in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Prior to either pit stop, Staal had played 2 years with the Detroit Red Wings between 2020-21 and 2021-22 and 13 years with the New York Rangers between 2007-08 and 2019-20 after having been their draft pick in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Staal ends his career with 1,136 games played, 53 goals and 234 points scored, a plus-minus of +52, 537 PIM, 1,448 blocked shots to go along with 1,643 hits, all while averaging 19:56 TOI in 17 years. The former 12th overall pick enjoyed his best seasons with the Rangers, where he tallied a career-high 8 goals and 27 points in 2009-10 and averaged a whopping 25:44 TOI in 2010-11.
Staal also appeared in 128 playoff games across 11 post-season trips, which included 2 trips to the Stanley Cup Finals – one with the Rangers in 2013-14 and one with the Panthers in 2022-23 – as well as 2 more Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2011-12 and 2014-15 with the Rangers. He recorded 7 goals and 20 points while averaging 21:46 TOI.
The Thunder Bay, Ontario, native unfortunately became a cap casualty in the final year of his contract during the stagnant cap era and he was traded to Red Wings in September of 2020 alongside a second round pick.
After signing one-year deals with the Wings and the Panthers, he joined the Flyers last offseason in what was deemed a “surprising” move by general manager Daniel Brière because they didn’t believe that a veteran of his ilk would want to sign with a rebuilding club.
The 37-year-old appeared in 35 contests last season, where he scored 1 goal and 5 points, accrued 14 PIM, was a +2, and averaged 13:49 TOI. He was a depth defenseman at best but was also not moved ahead of the trade deadline due to the Flyers litany of injuries on the back-end. He appeared in 8 straight contests from the beginning of March to middle of the month before taking a seat and reappearing for just 2 more games in April.
Staal will reportedly join the Rangers’ organization as a Player Development Assistant and will work alongside their defensive prospects in AHL Hartford and all throughout the organization, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
——————————
MEET MATVEI MICHKOV AT DYNASTY SPORTS – OXFORD VALLEY MALL
Welcome Matvei Michkov to Philadelphia the only way that Philly can with our friends at Dynasty Sports! The Flyers rookie will be making his veryfirst appearance since joining the Flyers on Saturday, September 7th at Dynasty Sports’ Oxford Valley Mall location. The event will begin at 12:00 PM with Matvei signing autographs and taking photos with his fans.
