The Detroit Red Wings have revealed their alternative captains for the next season, and they are counting on a veteran defenseman to step up. Marc Staal has been named one of this year’s assistant captains, alongside Danny DeKeyser.

Staal has not spent much time with the Detroit Red Wings, but he has been in the NHL for 14 years. After 13 seasons with the New York Rangers, Staal was acquired by the Red Wings in a draft capital-generating sweetener deal before to the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

The Red Wings chose to utilize him as a veteran to help secure a defense core that had suffered some injuries and necessitated his presence. Now, in 2021-22, Staal hopes to fill a similar position and serve as a leader for this club both on and off the ice.

With youngster Moritz Seider making the roster, it will be invaluable to learn from some of these veterans and observe how someone like Staal, a seasoned veteran, conducts himself in a leadership role.

Marc Staal, a defenceman with the Detroit Red Wings, will assume a leadership position in 2021-22.

When you think of Marc Staal with the Detroit Red Wings, you don’t immediately think of his offensive contributions, but his job will need a great deal of intangibles. Staal appeared in all 56 Red Wings games last season, scoring three goals and adding seven assists for a total of 10 points.

He is not going to score a lot of goals; he is not going to have an offensive renaissance at this time; he is a defensive defenseman who can execute the job effectively. Additionally, he may serve as a mentor and role model for some of the organization’s younger players.

While re-signing Staal is not a game-changing move, the decision to do so this summer was a solid one. On the morning of the 2021-22 season, looking forward, it appears reasonable to anticipate that Staal will contribute to the Red Wings defense core even if he does not contribute much on the stat sheet.

While I am not shocked that Staal was considered for and ultimately awarded the assistant captain position, it was rather surprising to see someone like Nick Leddy ignored. He was, however, a fresh addition, and the Red Wings may have preferred to keep returning players.

This season will not be a Stanley Cup contender, but the Red Wings should be able to begin focusing on future growth, which someone like Staal will nurture on and off the court.

The Astros defeated the White Sox 10-1 in Game 4 of the ALDS on Tuesday, putting an end to their season. Reliever Ryan Tepera took a shot at the Astros following the White Sox’s lone victory of the series on Sunday night.

He specifically addressed the 2017 season’s well-known sign-stealing issue.

“They have a reputation for doing some shady things over there,” Tepera added. “It is possible to say that there is a difference. In comparison to the previous two games at Minute Maid, I believe you witnessed the swings and misses tonight.”

In Game 4 on Tuesday, the Astros struck out nine times. They also had 10 hits, including three doubles and a home run, for a total of 10 runs. If Tepera’s insinuation was that the Astros cheat better at home than on the road, things didn’t quite line up in this game.

Shortstop for the Astros Carlos Correa went 2 for 4 with a two-RBI double to give the Rangers the lead for good. He was queried about Tepera’s comments after the game.

“Disrespectful words with no facts… he needs to know the facts, or you know what he needs to do.” 👀

Carlos Correa responds to Ryan Tepera’s comments ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5kK7k5S7fW— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 12, 2021

“Disrespectful words with no facts with nothing to say,” Correa said. “We scored six runs at home, then we scored, what, like nine? Then we scored six again here, they just happened to score 12. And then you look at our OPS on the road that’s the best in all the big leagues through a 162-game season which we played 81 on the road. Their OPS was a lot higher at home than it was on the road.

“He needs to know the facts.”

Correa did his homework. The Astros led the majors this season with a .780 road OPS. The White Sox’s home OPS was .789 compared to a .729 road OPS.

Whether any of this means anything is up to you, dear reader, but when Correa said he was talking facts, he was.

Source: cbssports

Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets’ All-Star guard, would be prohibited from participating in practices and games, general manager Sean Marks announced Tuesday, clearly implying that he continues to violate New York City’s COVID-19 vaccination rule for professional athletes.

While the club is prohibited by law from disclosing a player’s immunization status, Irving has been labeled as “ineligible to participate” not a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves planned for Thursday.

“Given the fluid nature of the situation and after careful consideration, we have determined that Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to participate fully,” Marks said in a statement, adding that the player had made a “personal choice” and that “we respect his individual right to choose.”

However, “his choice precludes him from being a full-time member of the team, and we will not allow any member of our team to engage on a part-time basis,” Marks added.

The news comes on the heels of a New York City rule that everyone over the age of 12 must have documentation of at least one COVID-19 vaccination injection in order to access indoor gyms, including the Nets’ own Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Irving evaded reporters’ queries regarding his immunization status earlier this month. Irving told a reporter at a remote press conference that he wanted “to keep that things private,” adding that he would “address it properly with my team and go forward together with a plan.”

Irving could lose around $380,000 each home game if he remains on the roster as an ineligible player.

The Nets had hoped Irving’s vaccination decision would change in time to avoid a situation where he would be unable to play, but ESPN reports that in recent days, “the franchise’s collective patience will be increasingly tested the longer Irving remains unwilling to commit to joining the team on a full-time basis.”