The Dallas Stars have locked up another piece of their core, signing Roope Hintz to an eight-year extension. The deal keeps him under contract through 2030-31 and includes an average annual value of $8.45MM. Hintz was scheduled for restricted free agency next summer when his current three-year, $9.45MM ($3.15MM AAV) contract expired. PuckPedia reports the full breakdown:
- 2023-24: $7.5MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
- 2024-25: $8.25MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
- 2025-26: $7.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
- 2026-27: $5.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2027-28: $6.9MM salary
- 2028-29: $6.9MM salary
- 2029-30: $6.9MM salary
- 2030-31: $6.9MM salary
Hintz, 26, will now match Miro Heiskanen in terms of cap hit, coming in just ahead of the four-year deal that Jason Robertson signed this fall and behind the two big-ticket veterans in Tyler Seguin ($9.85MM) and Jamie Benn ($9.5MM).
If you haven’t been paying attention to the Stars, you might have missed the development of Hintz into one of the league’s premier two-way players. Last season he scored 37 goals and 72 points as the anchor between Robertson and Joe Pavelski, earning Selke Trophy votes along the way as one of the league’s best defensive forwards. This year things have gone even better, with eight goals and 24 points in 22 games.
Even with Robertson’s dynamic offense and Heiskanen’s brilliant defending, there have been some that argue Hintz is actually the team’s best – or at least most valuable – player, because of all the things he does through the middle of the ice. You can practically hear the excitement in general manager Jim Nill’s statement about the deal:
Roope is a dynamic two-way centerman who has proven to be one of the best at his position in the NHL. He’s developed into one of our most versatile players, making an impact on special teams and at even strength, and can be counted on by our coaching staff in every situation. We are fortunate to have him in Victory Green for an additional eight years and look forward to his continued growth as a player.
Big, versatile centers are one of the most difficult things in the league to come by, and the Stars have avoided what could have been a tricky negotiation in a few months. While an $8.45MM cap hit is certainly not a small number, there’s reason to believe he could have demanded more, had he been coming off another near-40-goal season. Because of his age, this deal is only buying out a single RFA year, meaning Dallas is locking up basically all of Hintz’ productive UFA seasons in one shot.
There is certainly some risk here though, given the breakout that happened once Robertson and Pavelski were put in place. Hintz was good but not great in his first two seasons, and a return to that level would mean another underperforming big contract on the books. Dallas is willing to make that bet, though, and it appears like a good one given how consistent Hintz has been for more than two years now.
It also simplifies the Stars’ offseason considerably, leaving only Denis Gurianov and Ty Dellandrea as RFAs among the regular group. Pavelski’s future is unclear, given his UFA status and age (he’ll turn 39 just after free agency kicks off next summer), but the team now has some understanding of what they have to work with.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jason Robertson cries
Robo is going to get 12 mill a year when his bridge is over. I think he’ll be okay.
I also thing long term Roope is a better player. His d-zone work is 1000x better than Robersons
Hate to be bearer of bad news but D-zone work doesn’t usually show up in the pocket book like O-zone work
That’s the point. 8.5 m is a bargain.
Massive gamble, but if he continues to blossom this will be well worth it
Massive is a bit of an overstatement. Roope is like Jere Lehtenen but with 40 goal potential. I think this will end up being a bargain.
One of the most underrated players in the game. Puts up solid offensive numbers and is a PITA to play against. Not many like him out there in the NHL these days.
I need to watch more Stars games.
I’ve pretty much missed out on Robertson’s explosion and development and the last time I watched Hintz I saw a very good player who couldn’t stay healthy, not a guy who was going to get this kind of deal.
Pavelski is one of the best 7th rounders in NHL history.
The 2003 draft will be remembered most for the insane first and second round, but the overall list is truly mind-boggling. Not only was Pavelski picked in the 7th, but so was Brodziak (917 NHL games), Byfuglien and Enstrom in the 8th (869, 719), and Halak, Elliott (562, 527 goalie games) in the 9th.
Wow, Kyle Brodziak played more NHL games than Mario Lemieux did.
His agent should take a bow.
2003 Draft was amazing. Pretty much set up the next 15 years of the NHL.
Pens walked away with a HOF goalie with the top pick and it only cost a third line wing to move up. That was nice.
Somehow, with all that talent, the Rangers and Islanders managed to pick a group of 19 players – including picks 12, 15, 48, 50, 53, 58, and 75 – that totaled 1152 games in the NHL. Bruno Gervais was king among them with 418.
Ten players from that draft, most of them available at 12, have played at least that many by themselves.
It is one of the funnier things about that draft to me, which is filled with fun things if you look closely.
Phoenix, for instance, picked eight players (admittedly much later than the two New York teams) that between them never played a single NHL game. Several never even played in the AHL.
I love the 2003 draft. Haha