Rich Peverley: Dallas Stars Season Ending Report Cards

It’s Sunday, Stars fans! Time to kick back and dream about how much better your Sunday would be if the Stars were playing!

Here’s as promised your next report card on #17, The Death Conqueror himself, Rich Peverley:

Rich Peverley came to Dallas as an accessory to the Seguin-Eriksson deal on July 4th. Though many only looked at Seguin, Peverley showed throughout the season that he was just as valuable in the deal as Seguin. Through the season, he became more and more attached to the organization and became a treat to watch on the ice with his charming wit and his consistent happy-go-lucky attitude. He ended up capturing the hearts of the fan base, which made the March 10th incident, a day that no Stars fan shall truly ever forget, cause us to love him even more.

Season recap:

Rich Peverley entered his first season in Dallas ready to make an impression.

And he found a way to succeed.

He missed out on all the preseason games and the season opener due to his irregular heartbeat that was found in a physical (this being foreshadowing was not expected).

The 31 year old started the season paired up with mainly Tyler Seguin and Cap’n Benn, eventually settling down to Horcoff and Whitney.He was cleared in time to face The Caps in the second game of the regular season. He took 1 shot in 16:49 of ice time. Not how people were exactly looking for him to start. But he turned it around, and found a way to succeed in his given circumstance. He picked up his first point in his second game, the team’s third, with an assist to long time teammate Tyler Seguin for his first goal as a Star and then picking it up 4 days later on a breakaway and beating Semyon Varlamov on a nifty snipe against the Avs for his own first goal. He ended up skating in 62 games for the Stars this season until his heart gave out (so did mine after hearing the news, I don’t know about y’all). He netted 7 goals and tallied 23 helpers in his first season in the Lone Star State.

He worked hard when on the ice and always seemed to find a nifty gap with a perfect gap to the net. I know I say this about all of the guys, but he truly worked his tail off this season. From scoring back to back GWG in Boston in front of a booing TD Garden (honestly, I know they hate Seguin, but why would you pick on this guy? Well he showed y’all, anyway) to winning it at the Joe in a riveting OT experience against the Wings, his season was packed with memorable moments.

Playoff recap:

Due to his heart scare that left the game against CBJ and his life hanging in the balance, doctors shut Rich Peverley down immediately on March 12th for further evaluation and heart surgery in Cleveland. Due to this, he did not skate in any of the 6 postseason games.

Contract situation:

Rich Peverley came from the Bruins with a 2 year remaining contract attached to him. He spent one of those seasons this year and is staring at a contract expiring in 2014-15 and potentially sending him down the UFA tube. He is currently earning $3,375,000 with a cap hit of $3,250,000. So following this upcoming season, we could be saying goodbye to a guy we almost feel as though is family to us unless the Stars make something happen with him this offseason or sometime before July 1, 2015.

And I’m thinking that they might.

NOTE: Rich Peverley has not received full medical clearance from his doctors yet, so the fact of him ever playing in the NHL again is still unknown.

In my opinion:

Guess what? I’m not the 56 year old dude with the mustache and the cash (Jim Nill for those who don’t understand). I’m a 17 year old with ideas that have no weight on Jim’s decision. But I’ll share ’em with ya anyway.

I think that Peverley is not only a valuable player on the ice, but a valuable leader as well. He uses his cunning skill to find where he needs to be in order to get to the net and send it home. He also made sure to become friends with the entire team and support them all to the fullest. His downfall served as motivation to all the guys on the ice and sent them into their uproar on the way to the playoffs. He needs to stay in Dallas and the Stars could greatly benefit from his presence.

Can we please keep him around, Jim?

The bottom line on Rich Peverley:

Rich Peverley came to Dallas with his eyes pointed forward and his heart in his hands. He showed us what true brotherhood in hockey is and what it truly means to rally around someone as an entire fan base and city. His heart has been a major setback in his life but he has fought through it tremendously and strives to do better with each passing day.

Even thought the heart surgery to correct his atrial fibrillation back on March 19th was successful, he has not been officially cleared to play another minute of professional hockey for the rest of his life, though one doctor has already said that he would be able to start back up this coming season with no potential setbacks. No official word yet though, so stay tuned.

The Stars won’t buy out the contract or any crazy stuff like that, so get your minds out of that gutter.

They could keep him. He’s a quality player and still has a good 10 years left, though his heart is cause for delay, so don’t hold me to it yet. His hands are always finding people to help out in the game and his eyes are finding help for himself. He is a loved player by the entire city (what Dallas Stars can you NOT love though?) and is supported through and through. They may leave him for this season and if he plays, see what he can do and if he needs a new contract.

They could also trade him. This is not high on the list because of the love he has received. But if he is cleared and could be worth something on the block, the Stars could use a big name defenseman as I have said many times before, though Jim is aiming for a strong second line center first. His skillset is there and many teams are looking for something like him. This will only happen if the Stars are really looking at someone good on a mediocre team that needs a release.

The Stars had an eventful season with Rich Peverley and I don’t know about y’all but I’m ready for another! Dallas is ready for the Cup and Rich could help pull the weight on the way there as soon as next year. He needs clearance first but with that looking more and more likely to happen each day, he is almost a guarantee come next year, and the Stars could use him as a strong 3rd line center or right winger.

Comments please if you got ’em. GO STARS