Dallas Stars Report Cards: Johnny Oduya
The Dallas Stars had a wonderful 2015-2016 season, we know that. But how did each player specifically perform? Blackout Dallas will dive into this question over the next few weeks by writing up a report card for each player.
The Dallas Stars made two big changes in the 2015 offseason that had to happen if they were going to become a playoff team: add a strong second goaltender and improve the defense.
They did both of those, at least for the most part. One of the biggest things they did to aid the defense was adding Johnny Oduya in free agency.
After an egregious 2014-2015 regular season that ended with the Stars seven points from a playoff spot and giving up the fifth most goals per game in the NHL, Dallas needed a lot of blue line help. Oduya came in and helped build the blue line up through leadership and experience.
Bringing a world of experience
In the seventh round of the 2001 NHL entry draft, the Washington Capitals picked Sweden-native Johnny Oduya at 221st overall. 15 years later, Oduya has proven that the round drafted means little. Including Dallas, Oduya has played for four different NHL clubs and won two Stanley Cups.
His resume is quite impressive and he brought his leadership and skills to the Dallas Stars and influenced the defense in a great way.
Regular season recap
In his first season in Dallas, Johnny Oduya definitely made an impressive and encouraging presentation. Though not having the reputation of an offensive defensemen, the 34-year old scored four goals and tallied 17 assists for a total of 21 points in a complete 82-game season.
But Oduya’s production came on the defensive side of the puck. Playing primarily on the second pairing with a number of teammates during the year, Oduya finished with a +8 on-ice rating in 20:23 average time on the ice. His possession ratings were alright at 50.5 percent on the Corsi scale.
One of the interesting statistics is that Oduya tallied 172 blocked shots this season, the most out of any season in his career. His total was 38 less than fellow teammate Kris Russell, who is known for his prolific shot blocking. Russell finished second in the NHL in blocked shots, and Oduya was close behind at thirteenth.
Playoff recap
Johnny Oduya switched from Jason Demers to Stephen Johns as his defensive partner about a month before playoffs began, but still made a decent contribution in the postseason. He played in all 13 games, scoring one goal and tallying two assists for three points. He also finished with a +1 on-ice rating in 18:39 average time on ice.
His possession jumped up to 51.4 percent on the Corsi scale. He played pretty consistently in both series, but did experience some hiccups in the St. Louis series, as all of the Dallas Stars seemed to do.
Contract situation
Oduya signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars last offseason. He agreed on a two-year, $7.5 million deal with a cap hit of $3.75 million.
He will be entering the final season of his deal this year with the Stars, and will be 35 come next offseason. He has a modified no-trade clause in his deal for this coming season as well. The Stars have not shown any interest in moving Oduya, and considering he only has a few years left in the league, Dallas could even go for him next offseason if they felt that the team needed him back.
The opinion section
This past season, Johnny Oduya not only fulfilled the role the Dallas Stars had wanted him to at the beginning of the year, but did it on a consistent basis. Oduya was probably the Stars’ most consistent defender all season. He never really made any basic mistakes and showed his leadership and experience every time he was on the ice.
must read: Dallas Stars' Report Cards
It’s already pretty clear that the Stars will hold on to Oduya for next season, and it’s definitely for the best. He played the role of defensive defensemen greatly, which is exactly what the Stars needed. In a nutshell, he did everything the Stars wanted him to do and ended up turning in an excellent season all while helping stabilize the blue line.
Bottom line
Johnny Oduya may only have a few years left in the tank after a very successful career, but his play with the Dallas Stars this year was very encouraging and he proved that the Stars need him back. If they want to continue improving the blue line and revamping the defense so they can become a Stanley Cup contender, Oduya is one of the prime pieces to the puzzle.
Back on December 17th at the morning skate before the Stars faced off with the Calgary Flames, I talked with Oduya about his first few weeks in Dallas and what he thought about the team overall.
“For us, we just need to keep going,” Oduya said. “There are things we want to improve on, and it’s the same for me. I think I could get more comfortable with player situations and we can move forward as a team.”
Next: Stars Would Be Crazy To Let All Of Their UFA D-men Slip Away
Sure the comment was about the team’s fast start this past year. But it can also apply to the current situation, which is both encouraging and entertaining.
Heck, depending on how successful the Stars are this coming season in comparison to this past year and how effective Oduya is, he may be a Dallas Star until retirement.