Jiri Hudler has signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars worth $2 million. The deal was initially announced by Sonny Sachdeva of Todays Slapshot, who was informed of the deal by Hudler’s agent, Petr Svoboda.
Per Svoboda, Hudler's deal with #Stars is for one year, $2 million.#HudlerWatch #NHL #FreeAgency
— Sonny Sachdeva (@SachdevaSonny) August 24, 2016
The Dallas Stars took a huge step forward last season when they finished in first place in the Western Conference after finishing in 10th place in the 2014-15 season. Hudler will bring a veteran presence to the Stars’ lineup which could be highly beneficial to a team that has young stars like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and John Klingberg leading the charge of this franchise-resurgence.
Hudler saw a regression in his point total last season, finishing the year with 16 goals and 46 points in 72 games. While that stat-line isn’t awful, it’s a far-cry from his, 31 goals and 75 points in 76 games in the previous year. Hudler still has the potential to be a big-time player with the Stars, and while his point totals may or may not ever reach a point-per-game level again, he still has value.
A one-year deal at $2 million as reported by Sachdeva is the ultimate low-risk, high reward situation for the Stars who could use Hudler in a top-six role alongside either Tyler Seguin on the Stars’ top line or Jason Spezza on the Stars’ second line.
Brandon Share-Cohen has covered the NHL and various professional sports for six years. Working with The Hockey Writers, Brandon works extensively on covering the Boston Bruins in addition to his role as the News Team Lead.
