Mark Staal Retires, and Joins Rangers Front Office

Staal, now 37, spent two post-draft seasons back in junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves before becoming a full-time fixture on the New York blue line immediately upon turning pro in 2007. He challenged for top-four minutes in his rookie season, posting 10 points and a +2 rating in 80 games while averaging nearly 19 minutes per night en route to finishing 12th in Calder Trophy voting in 2007-08.

Staal would remain a top-four fixture for the Rangers throughout the 2010s, signing a six-year, $34.2MM extension on top of his previous deal in 2015 to avoid becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Staal helped the Rangers to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, a five-game loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings with a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft for future considerations on Sept. 26, 2020, and played his 1,000th NHL game with Detroit, a 3-0 loss to the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 12, 2022. It made Marc, Eric Staal and Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal the first three brothers in NHL history to each achieve the milestone.

Marc Staal played 35 games for the Philadelphia Flyers last season (one goal, four assists) after helping the Florida Panthers reach the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, a five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He had 234 points (53 goals, 181 assists) and was plus-52 in 1,136 regular-season games and had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 128 playoff games, all but 21 with the Rangers.

Eric Staal announced his retirement Aug. 6 after 18 NHL seasons.