Profile

Birthday: October 9, 1983

Birthplace: Toronto, ONT

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 195 lbs.

Shoots: Left

Drafted: 2nd round (43rd overall) by the Dallas Stars

Contract: 3yr/$9.5M remaining

Last Season’s Performance

Detroit signed Trevor Daley as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2017. Last year, Daley won the second Stanley Cup in his career, and his second in two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He had a much poorer year last year than in year’s past, which can be contributed to a combination of injury and not meshing well with defensive partner Olli Maata. It cannot be ignored, however, that at 33 years old, he is much closer to the end of his career than its beginning. For a defenseman who has used his mobility to his advantage, if age hits him hard in the next season or two, he may not be very effective.

Looking Forward

The good thing about Trevor Daley is that he is still a solid NHL defenseman. The bad thing about Trevor Daley is that he is not what Detroit badly needs right now, which is a defenseman who can eat up minutes against top competition. He should be capable of playing on a second pair and on the power play.

My biggest concern in regards to Daley is that coach Jeff Blashill will not deploy him properly. In articles written shortly after the Daley signing, Blashill was quoted saying he did not plan to use him on the power play. It wouldn’t have been as bad if the coach hadn’t also talked about continuing to play Niklas Kronwall on the power play. At this point, any Red Wings defender, as well as the emergency backup goalie and half the ticket representatives, would be a better option on the power play than Kronwall.

Trevor Daley is highly respected throughout the league, and he will bring some intangibles to the locker room. If his legs hold up for another few seasons, he can hopefully help the blueline as well, although don’t expect a defensive savior.