Dallas Stars Daily Links: Jiri Hudler Will “Fit Right In” with Stars, Says Jim Nill

No one really thought Jim Nill was done making moves, right? On Wednesday, the Stars signed forward Jiri Hudler to a one-year, $2 million deal. Mike Heika, for one, says acquiring Hudler will be valuable to the team.

Hudler signed a bargain-basement one-year deal with Dallas. He'll get half of what Ales Hemsky will make, almost half of what Cody Eakin will make, and $200,000 less than what Antoine Roussel will make. Hudler last season in 73 games with Calgary and Florida tallied 46 points (16 goals, 30 assists). That would have put him fifth on the Stars.

Heika also points out that Nill was with the Red Wings when they drafted Hudler and is very familiar with him as a player. (Nill also said the Stars had been keeping an eye on Hudler all summer.)

"He's a solid player, smart, skilled, very good on the power play," said Nill, the Stars' general manager. "He's a good person. He'll fit right in here."

There’s more on Hudler at the link, and you can learn 10 things about the newest Star here. [SportsDayDFW]

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Jamie Benn is working hard to be ready for the start of the season. [Stars]

Does acquiring Jiri Hudler mean Valeri Nichushkin could be headed elsewhere?

Tyler Seguin is “ready to rock and roll” at the World Cup and during the season. [TSN]

30 teams, 30 reasons to be excited for the upcoming season. For the Stars:

Jiri Hudler is the latest addition to this ridiculous team. Dallas also has Jim Nill, one of the more active GMs since he came aboard in 2013. The window is open now for the Stars and you can be confident Nill will be aggressive to correct any shortcomings during the season.

You can read the other 29 glass-half-full thoughts at the link. [Sportsnet]

The Avalanche have found someone to take over for Patrick Roy.

Sidney Crosby will be Team Canada’s World Cup of Hockey captain. [Sportsnet]

And speaking of captains... the Blues have a new one.

The NHL’s newest team could be the Las Vegas Desert Knights. [Puck Daddy]

The Panthers have traded Dave Bolland and Lawson Crouse to the Coyotes in exchange for two draft picks.

The Coyotes have also hired Dawn Braid as their skating coach, making her the first full-time female coach in NHL history. [TSN]

Gone but not forgotten: The legacy of the Hartford Whalers lives on thanks to these dedicated fans. [ESPN]

From the Blues to the Wild, five playoff teams from last season that might not be so lucky this time around. [Sportsnet]

Taylor Hall opens up about being traded from Edmonton to New Jersey. [The Hockey News]

And finally, don’t forget to clear your calendars for next Wednesday.

Again.