After over 1,100 games in the NHL, defenseman Marc Staal had made the decision to hang out his skates. Having played for four teams over the span of his 17-year career, Staal has seen it all during his time.
It began with the New York Rangers in 2005 when he was drafted 12th overall. He appeared in 892 regular-season games, which ranks sixth in Rangers history. His 107 Stanley Cup playoff games are third behind only Chris Krieder and Dan Girardi. Staal ranks second in blocked shots (1,162) which trails only Girardi.
After announcing his retirement, the Rangers have brought him back to the organization as a player development assistant. There, he is expected to work with the team's defensive prospects in the AHL and throughout the organization as a whole.
After 1,136 NHL games, Marc Staal has decided to hang up the skates. ⛸️
— NHL (@NHL) September 5, 2024
Congratulations on your retirement! pic.twitter.com/kJ3p1R4V2V
Marc Staal retires from the NHL after 17-year career
Staal recently appeared in 35 games for the Flyers last season. It was a bit of a surprise that a player that close to retirement was willing to come to a team beginning a rebuild. Staal had just come from a Panthers' team that lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
But Staal had been very candid about knowing his role in the NHL. He was extremely willing to work with some of the young Flyers' defensemen and mentor them along the way. Long gone were the days of him playing close to 20 minutes per game. He wasn't going to be in the lineup every night. But he was willing to take on that role as he finished out his career.
And he did just that even though the Flyers failed to make the postseason. He played sparingly throughout the season, though there were some decently long stretches where he played every night. However, with injuries to their backend, it was almost done out of necessity, and there were no other options available. Staal suffered an injury early in the season that kept him out for over a month as well.
The expectation was that the Flyers could potentially flip him to a contender at the deadline. However, he was kept through due to a litany of injuries on defense. As expected, the two sides parted ways at the end of the season.
Staal also spent two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings in 2020 after a trade from the Rangers. It was after that that he signed a one-year deal with the Panthers before signing with the Flyers last summer. Marc joins his brother Eric, who signed a one-day contract with the Carolina Hurricanes last month to announce his retirement from the league.