Consistency has defined Daley's game for more than a decade.
The 5-foot-11, 199-pound offensive defenseman was a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars (No. 43) in the 2002 NHL Draft out of Sault Ste. Marie in the Ontario Hockey League. It didn't take long for Daley to establish himself as a regular in Dallas, where he played 11 seasons and scored at least 20 points seven times.
Consistency has defined Daley's game for more than a decade.
The 5-foot-11, 199-pound offensive defenseman was a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars (No. 43) in the 2002 NHL Draft out of Sault Ste. Marie in the Ontario Hockey League. It didn't take long for Daley to establish himself as a regular in Dallas, where he played 11 seasons and scored at least 20 points seven times.
From 2008-15, Daley averaged more than 21 minutes per game as an anchor for the Dallas defense. Though he made his mark as an offensive-minded defenseman early in his NHL career, Daley saw his role increase each season to the point where the Toronto native became a top-tier, two-way defenseman playing in all situations.
Daley's best season was with the Stars was 2014-15, when he scored 16 goals and 38 points, but he was traded by Dallas to the Chicago Blackhawks for Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns on July 10, 2015.
After playing 29 games with Chicago, Daley was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 14, 2015. He was a key part of Pittsburgh's second-half resurgence but fractured his left ankle in Game 4 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, keeping him out of what would have been his first Stanley Cup Final.
Daley still took part in the on-ice celebration following the Penguins' six-game victory against the San Jose Sharks and was the first player to be handed the Cup by captain Sidney Crosby.
In 2016-17, Daley scored 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 56 games and played 21 Stanley Cup Playoff games in the Penguins' run to a second straight championship. As an unrestricted free agent, Daley signed a three-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2017. He became the 330th player to skate in 1,000 NHL games Dec. 23, 2018.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- Traded to Chicago by Dallas with Ryan Garbutt for Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns, July 10, 2015.
- Traded to Pittsburgh by Chicago for Rob Scuderi, December 14, 2015.
- Signed as a free agent by Detroit, July 1, 2017.