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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Johnny Oduya and Setting Expectations

Posted on by Melissa Flandreau

It’s been a busy week for the Dallas Stars.

After trading with Chicago for Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns, the team brought in another former Blackhawks player by signing Johnny Oduya to a two-year, $7.5 million contract. Whether you’re in favor of, totally against, or still up in the air about the deal, Mike Heika is here to help put the signing into perspective.

Oduya is a good player who had a tough decision. He signed for two year with the Stars at $3.75 million a season when there seemed to be more money on the table from other teams. He is coming to the Stars because he believes in what they are building and because former teammate Patrick Sharp did a great sell job.

But he’s probably not the last piece in a Stanley Cup champion _ and it seems that’s how the Twitterverse is feeling today.

While the team may not be Stanley Cup ready, Heika did take the time to emphasize that Dallas is quickly becoming a place where players are eager to go.

Nill was able to be patient this summer because the Stars have become that “destination” where players want to land. Sharp agreed to come to Dallas, and that meant Chicago’s best bet was to work a deal with the Stars. That’s how Stephen Johns (who the Blackhawks did not want to give up) was included in the package. Oduya is convinced this is the best place for him to play. That’s why Nill didn’t have to get into a bidding war.

Heika ends the piece with a closing thought that reminds us to keep Oduya’s arrival in perspective.

This still is a team that has a lot of climbing to do in a very tough division.

They put themselves in position this summer to make that climb easier, but let’s not go thinking they’re already at the top of the mountain yet.

Sadly for the impatient fans among us, we still have to wait for October to arrive to see the season’s climb get underway. [DMN]

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If you’re tired of reading about Oduya, you can stop doing that and start watching a few things about the Stars’ newest Swedish defenseman.

To start, Jim Nill shares his thoughts on the signing.

Razor and Dave Strader also got in on the fun to talk about what Oduya means for the team.

Okay, I lied. Here’s another story on Oduya, complete with quotes from all parties. [Stars]

And here are 10 things you might want to know about the team’s newest addition. [DMN]

Let the power-play speculation begin. We’ve got to do something until October, right?

At On The Forecheck, Dirk Hoag broke down the 2015-16 travel miles and back-to-back games for each team. The San Jose Sharks lead the pack with 50,362 travel miles, while the Stars don’t have a much easier time of it. Dallas’ 48,419 are the third most in the league. [OTF]

Julius Honka, Remi Elie, and Radek Faksa talk about their time at development camp and how it prepared them for the upcoming season. [Austin American-Statesman]

The Ducks just committed to Ryan Kesler for a long, long time.

The Hockey News breaks down why that shiny new contract of Kesler’s is a bad, bad idea for Anaheim. [THN]

In other contract news, the Oilers signed Justin Schultz to a one-year, $3.9 million extension. [Edmonton Journal]

Meanwhile, the Penguins inked Beau Bennett to a one-year, $800,000 deal. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

These 14 UFAs make up the best of who’s currently left without a team. [Sportsnet]

The You Can Play Project was named the winner of the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award at the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards.

Forbes released its list of the 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are the only NHL franchise to make the cut. Funnily enough, the Leafs’ value has risen 465 percent since their last playoff series win. [Sportsnet]

Better lights, better hockey. At least, that’s the thinking when it comes to using LED in NHL arenas. [Sports Illustrated]

Doc Emrick dishes on calling a Stanley Cup Final, his handwritten game-day cheat sheets, and a whole lot more. [Sportsnet]

Here’s a hard-hitting look at the sort of thing we can expect from Oduya next season.

And finally, in today’s edition of Tyler Seguin is having more fun than you, he’s hanging out at the ESPYS.

He also took the time to discuss whether having Patrick Sharp on the team threatens his status as best-looking Dallas Star.

Talking Points