Dallas Stars should consider signing Haula in wake of crushing Seguin news

Erik Haula could be just the type of reinforcement the Dallas Stars need after losing Tyler Seguin.

It was announced on Tuesday that Seguin, along with Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop, would be out for five months after undergoing surgery in New York on Monday.

Seguin had a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair, with the recovery and rehabilitation time expected to be a combined five months.

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As a result, the Stars will be without one of their leaders and their most potent offensive weapons for the opening two months of the 2020-21 NHL season, should it start on Jan. 1, 2021 as is the current aim of the league.

Therefore, the Dallas Stars should consider signing free agent forward Erik Haula in order to add some depth to their lineup in the wake of Seguin’s surgery.

Why Haula?

Tyler Seguin is a star in the National Hockey League and he’s an offensive lynchpin for the Dallas Stars, so his absence will be a huge and significant blow for a team hoping to rebound from losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Not only will the Stars be temporarily losing a player in Seguin who recorded 50 points (17 G, 33 A) in 69 regular-season games in 2019-20, they will also take a hit in depth at the center position due to Seguin’s absence.

Joe Pavelski is likely to slot in on the top line in Seguin’s absence, but that will then leave a rather sizeable void at center on the depth chart, which could prove costly for Dallas in the early stages of the 2020-21 season.

Therefore, picking up Erik Haula could help ease the load on the likes of Pavelski in Seguin’s absence, while it would just give the Stars even more depth at center once the latter does return to the ice.

Currently a Free Agent, Haula is a proven commodity in the National Hockey League and he would tick a plethora of boxes for the Stars, who are maybe a piece or two away from taking that next step and lifting the Stanley Cup.

After being a solid role player for the Minnesota Wild, Haula really flourished in Sin City after being selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

Minnesota’s loss proved to be Vegas’ monumental gain as Haula exploded during the 2017-18 season, carving out a career-high in points with 55 points (29 G, 26 A) in 76 regular-season games, along with three goals and six assists for nine points in 20 postseason games as the Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year.

Haula was an absolute force at both ends for the Knights but a serious knee injury suffered early on in the 2018-19 season effectively ended the center’s time in Vegas, and he spent the 2019-20 season with both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers.

While the recent injury history is cause for concern, there is no doubting Haula’s impact on a team when he is healthy and he would bring a lot to the table for the Stars.

Boasting a career Faceoff win percentage of 51.3%, able to play in all situations, play on the power play and on the penalty kill and play a real impressive 200-foot game, Haula could be used up and down the lineup by Dallas and really help to spread out the workload until Seguin is back.

He’s responsible in his own zone and can chip in with offence, while he would help to soften the blow of losing Seguin’s excellence inside the faceoff circle.

How It Could Work

Currently boasting $3,407,969 in cap space and allowed to go over the cap by 10 percent during the off-season, the Dallas Stars are in position to make a real run at Erik Haula should they so wish.

Still available on the open market, which is a clear sign of the times we are currently in due to the flat cap caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, Haula would likely be interested in taking a team-friendly deal if it meant playing for a contender.

Given that they were in the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Final, coupled with the strength of their roster, the Stars are built to win now and the prospect of competing for a championship could be a real attraction for Haula.

As such, it is feasible to think that the Dallas Stars could thrash out a one or two-year deal with Haula with an AAV of $2.5-$3 million.

That would leave the Stars under the cap ceiling and still leave themselves with some flexibility, while a short-term deal would allow Haula to bet on himself and set up a potential big payday once the world and the NHL is in a better place financially.

It is a low-risk / high-reward type of deal and, given that the Dallas Stars are a contender, bringing in a player of Erik Haula’s caliber and experience could be one of the missing pieces they need in order to make another deep run in 2020-21.