Roope Hintz will skate in a Dallas Stars jersey for the foreseeable future as the 26-year-old Finnish forward signed an eight-year, $67.6 million contract extension on Tuesday.
“Roope is a dynamic two-way centerman who has proven to be one of the best at his position in the NHL,” Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill reported in a press statement. “We are fortunate to have him in Victory Green for an additional eight years and look forward to his continued growth as a player.”
The contract begins in the 2023-24 season, runs through the 2030-31 season, and breaks down to $8.45 million each season.
“Roope Hintz has shown that he’s a No.1 center in the league, and those guys are hard to find,” Nill explained.
Over the last five seasons, all with Dallas, Hintz has made 88 goals and 106 assists. Since the start of the ’20-’21 season, Hintz has become a point-per-game player, earning 139 points in 142 games.
His career-high 37 goals and 35 assists last season helped propel the Stars to the playoffs. So far this season, Hintz has made eight goals and 16 assists in 22 games for the Central Division-leading Stars.
Hintz has struggled against injuries at the end of the seasons since he joined the NHL in 2018-19. During the second round of the 2019 playoffs, he played against St. Louis with a broken foot. A hip injury kept him from seeing the end of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.
Hintz played the entire 2020-21 COVID-influenced season with an injury to his groin. Last year, he hurt his oblique and couldn’t play in Game 7 against Calgary.
This history of injuries, however, does not seem to have influenced the Stars’ long-term decision. Hintz’s eight-year deal is identical to the contract signed by teammate Miro Heiskanen last year, including a no-movement clause for the duration of the contract.
The Stars invested heavily in their roster this offseason, signing 23-year-old goalie Jake Oettinger to three years for $12 million, and restricted free agent Jason Robertson to a $31 million, four-year deal. Robertson, 23, who scored 41 goals in 40 games last season, has 19 goals and 17 assists through 23 games this year, good for first in the NHL.
“We now have our core signed up,” said Nill, the Associated Press reported. “Trying to get this core together, keep it together for as many years as we can, and that’s why we made this move now.”
Nill said Dallas expects the Stars’ salary cap to be between $83.5 million and $86 million next season. It is currently $82.5 million.
