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Rich Peverley’s Timetable To Make Decision Is Growing Slim

By Josh Clark |

It’s officially been 14 months and two days since Rich Peverley’s career and life took a sharp turn for the worst. In the first period of a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Peverley briefly died on the bench after a shift when his heart stopped. He was revived a few moments later and was shut down for the rest of the year from that point on.

Peverley had a history with heart problems, and even missed the 2013-2014 preseason and season opener after receiving a brief treatment for an irregular heartbeat that was discovered in his pre-camp physical. So, along with season-ending surgery in the mix to fix the issue, Rich Peverley’s future was also unclear.

In the offseason, Peverley received clearance from one doctor, but remained cautious about his future career in the NHL. The 2014-2015 season was one of caution and Peverley decided it best to stay out and continue to treat the issue.

But Peverley did not shut himself off from hockey entirely. He remained active as a coach and mentor with the Texas Stars of the AHL, helping out in multiple practices throughout the season.

But now the issue has come back up. After a season off, Rich Peverley is just a few weeks away from being an unrestricted free agent. On June 30th, his contract will officially expire and he will head into free agency.

With that in mind, the time is approaching where he needs to make a definitive decision.

Peverley, 32, has played in the NHL for eight seasons and been a member of four different organizations. He started his career with the Nashville Predators and remained there until 2009 he was put on waivers and claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. He played with Atlanta until he was traded to the Boston Bruins in 2011. He played a small stint in Finland during the lockout period of 2012, then finished 2013 with the Bruins. On July 4th, Peverley became a part of the blockbuster deal that sent him to Dallas with Tyler Seguin.

Most consider Rich Peverley a simple sweetener to the deal, but they are completely wrong. Peverley became an offensive force for the Dallas Stars during the 2013-2014 season. In the 62 games before his collapse, Peverley scored 7 goals and tallied 23 assists for a total of 30 points. He did all of this in an average of just 15:23 on the ice. He also finished the season with just 15 penalty minutes, and a third of those were a fight.

So, it all depends on what Rich Peverley decides. If he makes no decision, it might be a little difficult to get a team to put faith in him. If he decides to retire for good, then he can go out with a great career behind him. But if he decides to stay in, it might be a good idea for the Dallas Stars to offer a new contract.

Peverley is a determined player and would be a tremendous third line or fourth line center. His abilities in the face-off dot are exceptional, including winning 60.1% of face-offs participated in during his time with the Stars. His eagerness to share the puck would greatly compliment the young and trigger-happy wingers the Stars have in the works at the moment. And who couldn’t love his positive attitude towards playing the game?

Now, of course, the Stars already have a large stock of forwards already on their roster, including a few on the waitlist coming from the AHL. So, it will be interesting to see what the Stars do this offseason. But the first thing that has to happen is for Rich Peverley to make his decision and either jump back into the NHL or hold back for good. We’ll wait and see what happens.

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