Dallas Stars Round Out Offense, Sign Alexander Radulov
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars spent Monday morning making another huge splash in free agency, signing Alexander Radulov and putting to rest any further speculation on the subject.
Jim Nill knows how to get things done and isn’t fooling around anymore. If you didn’t already know that, now you do.
On Monday afternoon, the Dallas Stars officially signed RW Alexander Radulov to a five-year deal worth an average of $6.25 million per year. Considering they had the cap space to do so, this is a solid deal by Nill and at a great value.
Radulov is one of the more prolific right wingers in today’s NHL. He was a first-round draft pick (15th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, and wasted no time in breaking out as a young superstar. In his first season in 2006-07, he scored 18 goals and tallied 37 points in 64 games. This was all done while skating an average of 11:38 per game (which translates to fourth-line minutes).
He played another full season in the NHL in 2007-08, putting up 26 goals and 58 points in 81 games. Following that season, Radulov, a native of Nizhny Tagil, Russia, was drawn to playing in the KHL. He spent almost four full seasons over in Russia before returning at the end of the 2011-12 season and playing the remainder of the year out with the Predators.
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Following that season, the partial NHL lockout ensued. As a result, Radulov turned around and went back to the KHL for another four seasons.
During the 2016 offseason, Radulov signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens. And throughout last year, it was as if he had never left. In 76 games, Radulov put up 18 goals and 54 points. That success carried over into the playoffs, though the Canadiens were eliminated in the first round. Still, he managed to score two goals and tally seven total points in six games.
He’s got excellent possession numbers, is a power play aficionado, and has great stick-handling and skating abilities. One of the most relevant things about Radulov, though, is his ability to finish and take over games. His confidence is brimming and gives him the strength to take a game into his own hands. That’s something that the Dallas Stars could really use.
He brings a lot to the table for the Stars, and they will be able to use him in a number of ways next year. In June, it was reported that Radulov wanted a six-year deal with a $7 million AAV. That would be much too pricey for the Stars, so it was a great move by Nill to not only take two years off the term, but also to chop the salary down a little bit. And even after all of these offseason moves, the Stars STILL have almost $5 million in cap space. That’s impressive.
But signing Radulov means one thing: the Dallas Stars’ offense is complete, and boy does it look threatening. The Stars succeeded this offseason in bringing in a first-line RW (Radulov), a veteran center that brings a new edge and gives them flexibility down the middle (Hanzal), and plenty of young depth in the forwards group.
Next: What Does Martin Hanzal Bring To The Table?
Alexander Radulov will no doubt be an exciting player to watch next to Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. October 6th can’t come fast enough.