Johnny Oduya Signs 2-Year Deal With The Dallas Stars
(CBS) Free agent defenseman Johnny Oduya has agreed to a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars, the team announced Wednesday morning.
Oduya, 33, spent the past three-plus seasons with the Blackhawks, serving as a reliable and durable top-four defenseman and helping Chicago win two Stanley Cups in that stretch. His agent, Don Meehan, confirmed Tuesday that he wouldn't be re-signing with the Blackhawks, and a day later, Oduya has a new home with some familiar faces there.
In Dallas, Oduya will join winger Patrick Sharp and rookie defenseman Stephen Johns, whom the Blackhawks traded to the Stars last Friday in a deal to clear salary cap space.
Oduya had a desire to stay in Chicago, waiting patiently to see if Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman could clear enough cap space to keep him. It never worked out, though, as Oduya's average annual value on his deal with Dallas is $3.75, per war-on-ice.com -- money Chicago didn't have.
Oduya played in 201 of a possible 212 regular-season games in the past three years.Oduya had two goals, eight assists and a plus-5 +/- rating in 76 games last season.
"Johnny is a steady, veteran presence on the blueline and he'll complement our group nicely," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. "He has achieved a great deal of success, winning the Stanley Cup twice, and his championship-mentality will be valuable in our room."
The Stars finished with 92 points in 2014-'15, seven out of a the final wild-card slot and the 10th-most in the 14-team Western Conference.