Staal, 34, was one of two Red Wings to play all 56 games during the 2020-21 season (along with Filip Hronek) and ranked among team leaders with 20 penalty minutes (T7th), 58 hits (7th), 45 blocked shots (7th) and 18:25 average time on ice (5th). The 6-foot-4, 209-pound blueliner hit a pair of milestones last season, skating in his 900th NHL game on Jan. 28 at Dallas and reaching 150 NHL assists on April 28 vs. Chicago. After spending the first 13 seasons of his career with the New York Rangers, Staal was acquired by the Red Wings in a trade on Sept. 26, 2020 along with a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, which was part of the package that allowed Detroit to trade up from 23rd to 15th overall in the first round to select goaltender Sebastian Cossa, in exchange for future considerations. Staal has appeared in 948 NHL games since 2007-08, registering 198 points (46-152-198) and 452 penalty minutes. He's also played 107 Stanley Cup Playoff games, contributing 20 points (7-13-20) and 42 penalty minutes. Staal was an NHL All-Star in 2010-11, a season in which he produced a career-best 29 points (7-22-29) in 77 games.
A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Staal was originally a first-round pick (12th overall) of the Rangers in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to turning professional, Staal racked up 123 points (23-100-123) in 236 Ontario Hockey League games with the Sudbury Wolves from 2003-07. He capped off a decorated major-junior career in 2006-07, captaining the Wolves en route to capturing the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the league's most-outstanding defenseman and Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as most-valuable player of the playoffs, while earning a spot on the OHL First All-Star Team and CHL First All-Star Team. On the international stage, Staal helped Canada win back-to-back gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 IIHF World Junior Championships and was named the tournament's best defenseman in 2006. He previously captured a gold medal at the 2003 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and debuted for the men's national team at the 2010 IIHF World Championship.
