Dallas Stars Sign Forward Valeri Nichushkin On His Return From KHL
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars needed depth scoring on the right side and Valeri Nichushkin was ready to come home. The two sides officially made it happen today, inking the forward to a two-year deal.
Big Val, Nuke, The Choo Choo Train, or just Val. Whatever you used to call him, the fact of the matter is that he’s back on the Dallas Stars.
As their first official free agent signing of the day, the Stars inked forward Valeri Nichushkin to a two-year deal. The 23-year-old right winger will make an AAV of $2.95 over the next two years while working his way towards a long-term deal. The amount gives Nichushkin the money he wanted while giving the Stars flexibility in free agency.
Dallas drafted Nichushkin as an 18-year-old in the first round (tenth overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Coming out of Russia, he had no experience North American hockey. But he adapted quickly.
In his rookie season, Nichushkin played in 79 games for the Stars. He tallied 14 goals and 34 points along with an impressive +20 rating. Nichushkin played alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin for a good portion of the year, but also scaled the lineup, providing solid depth all around.
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The 2014-15 season was a scratched year for Nichushkin as midseason hip surgery limited him to just eight games and one point. In 2015-16, he put up nine goals and 29 points in 79 games. His durability was impressive, but his production from his rookie year took a dip.
Following a summer of being unable to agree to terms on a new contract with Dallas, the RFA decided to return to his home country and play in the KHL on a two-year deal.
But after a two-year period of hopeful growth, the Stars and Nichushkin reunited this morning.
After rumors circulated for a few weeks that the two sides had agreed to a deal, nothing could be officially confirmed until today.
It’s a good signing for both sides. For Nichushkin, he gets two years to prove his worth. The claims are that he’s a new player after learning from the KHL’s style of play over the past two years. With that, he should bring a new set of skills to the table and earn a longer term deal. After all, he’s only 23 years old. There’s still plenty of growth and his ceiling still seems fairly high.
And for the Stars, they get a depth forward that can help them on the right side. Nichushkin has impressive size for a forward and carries the puck well. He’s a smart winger in the offensive zone and can use his size and reach to his advantage. He’ll definitely help the Stars throughout the lineup and could even skate on the second line if things pan out. All he has to do is earn it.
“We are excited to welcome Val back to the Dallas Stars,” Nill said in the Stars press release. “Over his past two seasons in the KHL and with the national team, he has continued his growth and development as a hockey player. Val was one of his team’s most outstanding players last season. He is a fantastic addition to our depth at forward and we look forward to his return to our club.”
It’s a good move for the Stars and should help them out long past the 2018-19 season. His presence on the offense will be greatly welcomed.
Next: Five Things To Watch For On First Day Of Free Agency
Everyone welcome back the Choo Choo train.