By Jordan Long
On Wednesday, the Dallas Stars boosted their offense by signing Jiri Hudler. The deal is team friendly at $2 million this year. What will Hudler bring to the team?
Hudler has plenty of NHL experience. This upcoming season will mark his 11th year. He started his career with the Detroit Red Wings and was there from 2003 to 2012. His best season with the Red Wings was in 2012 when he scored 25 goals. During his years with the Red wings, they went to the playoffs every year. In 2008 he help Detroit win the Stanley Cup. During that run Hudler scored 5 goals and added 9 assists, 2 of those goals were scored on the power play.
His contract was up with the Red Wings after 2012. The Calgary Flames agreed to a contract with him of four-years and $16 million. They were hoping that Hudler would enhance their offense. He kept lighting the lamp with the Flames and in 2013 he scored 5 power play goals, the most in his career. 2015 was a career year for him with 31 goals and 45 assists for 76 points.
Hudler appeared in 53 games last year for Calgary but was traded on February 28th to the Florida Panthers for a fourth-round draft pick. Hudler assisted the Panthers in making the playoffs, but they suffered a first-round exit. They lost to the New York Islanders in 6 games.
At the end of the year, the Panthers surprisingly didn’t bring him back. Hudler was a free agent. I really thought he would be signed early in free agency because of his ability to score on the power play and at full strength. Finally, the Dallas Stars decided to sign him because of his ties with Stars’ General Manager Jim Nill who was with the Red Wings organization. When Hudler was there, Nill was the Assistant General Manager.
Hudler will not only bring NHL playoff experience to the Stars but adds depth to their scoring ability. The Stars led the league last year in goals scored per game at 3.23. That number may increase with Hudler. They also ranked 4th scoring on the man advantage at 22.1%. With Hudler, it will come at no surprise if they lead the NHL on the power play.
This to me is a great deal for the Stars. They are hoping to go further in the NHL Playoffs than the second-round. Hudler might be the missing piece to help them win a Stanley Cup because of his ability to score in the playoffs. Time will only tell.
What do you think of the Dallas Stars signing Jiri Hudler?
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