Trevor Daley
#6 / Defenseman / Pittsburgh Penguins
5-11 | 195 | October 9, 1983
Toronto, ON | 43rd, 2002 (Dallas)
| Assets | Owns outstanding mobility and durability. Has tremendous athleticism and solid all-around ability. Is a dedicated worker and solid team player. Can log huge minutes. |
| Flaws | Since he’s a little undersized, he can struggle when up against big forwards in front of the net. Can at times make bad decisions with the puck in the defensive zone. |
| Career Potential | Mobile veteran defenseman. (Assets, Flaws and Career Potential via The Hockey News player page) |
Career 25-Game Rolling Five-on-Five Corsi-For Percentage:
2015-16 Even-Strength Usage Chart:
Why you should know who he is: After more than a decade of up-and-down years in Dallas, the Stars sold high on Daley’s career-high 16-goal (and career-low relative Corsi-For percentage and plus-minus) 2014-15 season and shipped the minute-munching blueliner to Chicago as a key piece in the deal that sent Patrick Sharp the other way. Daley didn’t last long in the Windy City, and was flipped to Pittsburgh for Rob Scuderi after just 29 games, so that tells you a bit about where his value was at that time (though, it should be noted, two of the “smarter” teams in hockey – Chicago and Los Angeles – both acquired Scuderi this season… and both are golfing now).
Daley is 19th among NHL skaters in total ice time since the 2004-05 lockout, and averaged more than 20 minutes per night for the Pens during both the regular season (20:27) and the first round (22:41, second on the Pittsburgh blueline), getting minutes in all situations. Along with Kris Letang, Daley was the only Pens rearguard to see significant time on both special teams units, and he slotted into a second-pair role at five-on-five, usually with Brian Dumoulin.
Daley has really benefited from the trade that sent him to Pittsburgh, and the Caps will see plenty of him over the next two weeks.
How the Caps can stop him: Like most puck-moving defensemen, Daley is prone to the occasional glaring defensive lapse (stay-at-home types tend to have more subtle lapses, as they chip pucks off the glass and out repeatedly), and can also rack up some penalty minutes in relative bunches. He can be a bit overwhelmed in bigger minutes, and there are a lot of miles on those tires, so the more the Caps can make Daley work, the better.
Previously: Matt Murray | Patric Hornqvist | Tom Kuhnhackl | Eric Fehr | Nick Bonino | Conor Sheary | Ian Cole | Bryan Rust | Olli Maatta