The Carolina Hurricanes have signed a Paul Stastny contract. The unrestricted free agent signs a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. This contract carries him through the 2o22-23 season.
$1.5M https://t.co/W38rYvtL2l
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 23, 2022
UFA Paul Stastny Contract
Over his 16-year NHL career, Stastny played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights to date. The Avs drafted him back in 2005 with their second-round, 44th overall selection. In total, Stastny amassed 284 goals and 516 assists for 800 points through 1072 career games. In 2021-22, he posted 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points in 71 games, proving he still has plenty left in the tank at 36 years young.
That being said, Stastny no longer posts points at the point-per-game pace he did in his early-20’s. Last year sits as his best season since 2017-18 though, good timing considering his pending UFA status. He posted those totals playing an average of 17:47 per night, coupled with a relative Corsi-for of 4.7%. The centreman has never experienced a negative relative Corsi percentage, exemplifying his responsible nature of play.
What This Means for the Future
Winnipeg remains a tough team to evaluate. They hired Rick Bowness as their new head coach in the latest of head-scratcher Jets moves. More rumours continue swirling, with a large number of players reportedly on the trade block and/or interested in leaving. Many expected Winnipeg in the postseason this year, but the club fell short by a not-so-slim eight points.
Retaining Stastny really wasn’t an expectation, nor would it have made a lot of sense for their direction. Typically, teams that fall short of expectations don’t keep their aging players, especially ones without significant ties to the city. Though he played for the team for parts of three seasons, Stastny is better remembered for his four seasons in St. Louis, and primarily, his seven seasons in Denver.
Stastny’s consistent career, year after year, makes projecting his impact as easy as it gets in the NHL. Expect him to finish in the top five to ten in scoring on his new team, playing a middle-six role anchoring the centre position. This is a consummate professional any team would be happy to have on their roster and in their locker room.
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