Welcome to LWOS Hockey’s summer series. After the historic 2016 NHL Free Agency period, it’s a good time to look at the best free agent signing in the history of all 30 NHL franchises. Up next: The all-time best Dallas Stars free agent signing.
Make sure to check out the previous articles in our 2016 summer series here.
The All-Time Best Dallas Stars Free Agent Signing
1998 – Brett Hull: Three-year contract
There was a list of solid free agent additions for the Dallas and Minnesota North Stars, but one stands out above the rest. Even though Hull only played three seasons for the Stars, the impact he had while on the ice was obvious. He was able to muster just under a point per game in his 218 games for the Stars, and for a man reaching the twilight of his career, that’s nothing short of impressive.
The Player
Hull, amazingly enough, was only the 117th selection of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, when the Calgary Flames took him off the board. He played a total of 57 games for the Flames over the course of three years, and in this 57 games he accumulated 27 goals and 51 total points. From there he moved on to the organization he is most well-known for his success with, the St. Louis Blues. During his time in St. Louis, Hull played a whopping 744 games for them and racked up and even more amazing 527 goals and 936 total points.
After spending roughly ten and a half massively successful seasons with the Blues, he signed as a free agent with the Stars organization. During his three seasons with the Stars, Hull had seasons of of 58 points in 60 games, 59 points in 79 games, and 79 points in 79, for an impressive 196 total points in only 218 games. These numbers may pale in comparison to some that he put up with the Blues during the early nineties, but it was a much lower scoring game during his period with the Stars than it was back then. When you take that into consideration, there’s absolutely no way you can overlook how impressive these numbers really are.
The Goal
But, even when you look at all of the statistics, the biggest impact Hull had on the stars came in the third overtime of the clinching game of the Stanley Cup in 1999. Just mentioning the goal he scored to win the Stars their first ever cup is enough to make all of Buffalo collectively shiver and complain. But, despite the fact that there was no video review on whether Hull was in the crease or not, it was enough to solidify his legacy in a Stars sweater as their greatest ever free agent signing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VWAtMxXVCs
The Deal
The Stars signing one of the best players in the NHL at the time, and arguably one of the top forwards in NHL history, to a three-year contract was a phenomenal deal. Any general manager, given the chance, would gladly take a forward with four 100-plus point seasons during their career at virtually any cost. And, seeing as this deal ultimately resulted in the Stars lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup, it’s not even a debate that Hull will go done as the best ever Stars free agent signing.
The Result
The results of this deal are fairly obvious, as both Hull and the Stars organization profited from this three-year love affair between one another. The Stars were able to bring home their first Stanley Cup, at least to Dallas that is, and Hull cemented his legacy as an NHL great. Despite the fact that Hull didn’t enjoy the ridiculous level of scoring that he had with the Blues, 196 total points over a span of 218 games and a Stanley Cup can make an argument that these were the three most prosperous years as a player in the league.
Make sure to check out the previous articles in our 2016 summer series here.
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