Antoine Roussel is one of the four unrestricted free agent contracts that Dallas has coming up in the offseason, and there is some curiosity surrounding if he will return or not. The stats don’t shine particularly bright besides a couple categories. However, it was never about the stat sheet with Roussel, and much more about being an enforcer while protecting his linemates, which is why he has garnered so much respect within the organization.
Roussel is a solid forward on the third line that paired up well with the likes of Mattias Janmark and even Remi Elie on the other side. His lines brought nothing but hard work and grit at times. He has proven to be a physical presence and force for the Stars on the ice, and if anyone has a problem with him, well, Roussel isn’t afraid to throw the gloves down. He has logged serious PIM since entering the league in a Stars sweater back in 2012, and every season since he has accounted for five or more fights and has led the team in PIM. This season he recorded 126 PIM and his overall PIM since 2012 is 806.
Forbes once had him ranked as the eighth best fighter for the money, and I believe this still holds true. With his contract valued at $2M, for the money he is a great asset to the current Stars roster, and continued to show his worth during this past season. Stars fans love him and other than Tyler Seguin jerseys, the most I’ve seen when attending Stars games against the Colorado Avalanche are Roussel jerseys. Fans love a feisty player and Roussel has that down in spades.
And because everyone loves to watch a good hockey fight, here are some of Roussel’s brawls from this past season.
The most recent fight from Roussel was against Chris Thorburn when the Stars played the St. Louis Blues on March 3. Thorburn received a misconduct and Roussel received a minor and a misconduct for instigating the fight.
Up next, Roussel dropped the gloves with Connor Carrick of the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 25, which did not end well for Carrick.
And finally, this last clip is perhaps my favorite, as Roussel makes sure you know who the winner is in this fight during the game against the Florida Panthers on January 23. Note the somewhat scared look on Keith Yandle’s face.
Roussel put up six fights this season and accumulated 126 PIM, which led the team in both of those categories. He didn’t have a season-low in points this year, but it wasn’t his best, with 17 points for second lowest in his career. He also recorded five goals (another season low) and 12 assists to cap off what could be his final year with Dallas. Roussel did however achieve a new career high in face-off percentage at 57.9%, which was the second best percentage on the roster this past season.
Now, how would y’all grade Roussel’s season?
Grading Antoine Roussel’s 17-18 Season
| A – The fights alone are why he deserves to be back next season. | 31 |
| B – His season was solid enough that I would like to see him return to Dallas. | 136 |
| C – Rather indifferent on if he returns to Dallas as he is just a bottom-line forward and his stats don’t show much. | 161 |
| D – Roussel didn’t do enough to return and Dallas could and should replace him. | 96 |
| F – I prefer a much cleaner style of hockey and would like to not see Roussel in a Stars sweater next season. | 8 |