Trevor Daley Retires, Becomes Penguins Hockey Ops Advisor

The job title is a little bit nebulous, but Trevor Daley and his contributions to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup runs were anything but. Daley left via free agency, but his indelible locker room presence and leadership were missed. As part of more changes in the Penguins organization, Daley earned a new job on Monday.

First, Daley retired as a player. The 37-year-old defenseman just finished a three-year, $9 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Scouts recently told San Jose Hockey Now that Daley’s top-six days were over.

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins both announced Daley’s retirement and his new job as Hockey Operations Advisor, according to GM Jim Rutherford.

“First, I would like to congratulate Trevor on an incredibly successful 16-year career,” said Rutherford. “In addition to being a Stanley Cup Champion with us, he left us with a great impression due to his professional demeanor and quiet leadership qualities. Those traits, along with his desire to want to learn about the business side of the NHL, made him a great candidate to join our staff.”

Last summer, the Penguins named former locker room leader Matt Cullen to the Player Development staff.

Trevor Daley played in 1038 NHL games, split between Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, and the Penguins. He had 309 (89g, 220a) career points. He is one of the most notable of Rutherford’s Penguins trade acquisitions, as the Penguins snagged him for aged defenseman Rob Scuderi.

According to the Penguins press release, Daley will work in Pittsburgh and report directly to Rutherford. He will assist in player evaluations at the NHL and AHL level and act as an “eye in the sky” from the press box during games.

The Penguins announcement was made a couple of hours after Rutherford announced Jason Karmanos was relieved of his duties in a hockey operations “re-organization.”

Karmanos worked with Rutherford in Carolina and all six seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, until Monday.