The 34-year-old defenseman could have become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday. He said Monday that he received a no-move clause and the offer from Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman made him confortable enough to remain in Detroit for his 15th NHL season.
"I have three young kids and it was just important," Staal said. "Not to say that I would say no to an opportunity, but with a young family and you never know what's going to be the situation when you get around that time of year, to be able to control a little bit at the deadline was important, and Steve was willing to do that for me. I appreciated that. You never know what's going to happen, but it's a nice thing to have.
"I really enjoyed myself. You never know what you're going to get in free agency, and I was curious, obviously, to get there, but Steve reached out and made an offer. I just felt like it was a good situation for me last year and I had fun playing and got something concrete down where I can focus on getting my family down there now and having them move with me and do all that fun stuff. I just thought at this time it was the best decision."
Staal scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 56 games for the Red Wings this season, his first after being acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on Sept. 26, 2020. Selected by the Rangers in the first round (No. 12) in the 2005 NHL Draft, Staal has scored 198 points (46 goals, 152 assists) in 948 regular-season games, and 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 107 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Red Wings acquired goalie Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes) and defenseman Nick Leddy (New York Islanders) in separate trades prior to the 2021 NHL Draft on July 23-24. Nedeljkovic, voted a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, agreed to a two-year contract. Leddy will enter his 12th NHL season and won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.
"Leddy makes our team better, no question, and Nedeljkovic is a very good goaltender," Staal said. "I think we were pretty consistent last year with our work ethic and the way we played. And now that they've added some pieces, we'll see what happens here in the next little while. But it's an exciting place to be. It was a pretty easy decision to sign up for it again."
Though the Red Wings have failed to qualify for the playoffs the past five seasons after making it in 25 straight, winning the Stanley Cup four times (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008), Staal said he's happy with the direction of the rebuild. Detroit (19-27-10) tied the Columbus Blue Jackets for seventh in the eight-team Discover Central Division this season.
Jeff Blashill agreed to a contract May 18 to remain coach.
"I like their attitude," Staal said. "I like the organization. It's just a first-class organization. The facilities are beautiful, the fans, the hockey market. There's a lot of great things about playing for the Red Wings. I learned that pretty quickly last year. I had an opportunity to sign up for it again and it didn't take me too long to make a decision. I'm excited to be back."
NHL.com staff writer Jon Lane contributed to this story
