It appears as though Marc Staal’s season is over, as today the Detroit Red Wings announced that the veteran defenseman has been placed in the COVID protocol. Staal would have had to test to travel with the team to Toronto for tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs. The team recalled Riley Barber and Kyle Criscuolo under emergency conditions earlier today.
Staal, 35, played just nine minutes in a game on Monday against the New Jersey Devils, his 71st appearance of the season. He actually recorded 16 points in those games, his highest single-season total since 2014-15. Never much of an offensive presence, he was relied on in Detroit to provide stable defensive minutes while the team sheltered younger options, but will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Recently nominated for the Masterton Trophy, it will be interesting to see if the Red Wings decide to bring him back on another one-year deal, given the influx of younger talent. Simon Edvinsson recently signed his entry-level deal, while deadline acquisition Jake Walman has played regularly since arriving. With Staal and Danny DeKeyser both on expiring deals, the team’s blue line could lose quite a bit of its “veteran presence” in the offseason.
For now, hopefully, Staal is not presenting with any serious symptoms and he can get back to normal in the coming days. He will be held out for a minimum of five though, meaning tonight’s game and Friday’s finale are out of the question.
The Wings would be foolish not to try to bring Staalsie back.