When the Dallas Stars signed Hudler to a one-year contract on Aug. 24, 2016 they added to their arsenal one of the NHL's best, yet most underrated, sharpshooters.
Hudler produced a shooting percentage of better than 14 percent during six of the first nine seasons in which he played at least 72 games, including two seasons with a mark above 19 percent.
When the Dallas Stars signed Hudler to a one-year contract on Aug. 24, 2016 they added to their arsenal one of the NHL's best, yet most underrated, sharpshooters.
Hudler produced a shooting percentage of better than 14 percent during six of the first nine seasons in which he played at least 72 games, including two seasons with a mark above 19 percent.
The result of that accuracy was two seasons with 20 or more goals and one with more than 30, the latter coming during the 2014-15 season when Hudler played for the Calgary Flames.
One of the leaders of the Flames when they returned to the playoffs in 2014-15 following a five-year drought, Hudler earned votes for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and also won the Lady Byng Trophy as the League's best sportsman.
Hudler's time with the Flames came on the heels of a seven-year run with the Detroit Red Wings, who drafted the Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, native in the second round (No. 58) in the 2002 NHL Draft.
After three seasons with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, Hudler cracked the Red Wings lineup at the start of the 2006-07 season and went on to lead Red Wings rookies with 25 points (15 goals).
Hudler scored 13 goals and 42 points the following season as he helped guide the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup title, scoring 14 points (five goals) in 22 postseason games.
Hudler returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs three more times before he signed a free agent contract with Calgary on July 2, 2012. During the 2015 postseason, Hudler led the NHL when he scored on 26.7 percent of his shots when he scored four goals and eight points in 11 games.
Hudler was traded to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 27, 2016 and scored six goals and 11 points in 19 games before signing with the Stars in the offseason.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- AHL Second All-Star Team (2006)
- Signed as a free agent by Vsetin (Czech Rep.), December 2, 2004.
- Signed as a free agent by Dynamo Moscow (KHL), July 10, 2009.
- Signed as a free agent by Detroit, May 24, 2010.
- Signed as a free agent by Calgary, July 2, 2012.
- Signed as a free agent by Lev Praha (KHL), September 20, 2012.
- Signed as a free agent by Trinec (Czech Rep.), December 19, 2012.
- Traded to Florida by Calgary for Florida's 2nd round pick (Tyler Parsons) in 2016 NHL Draft and Florida's 4th round pick in 2018 NHL Draft, February 27, 2016.
- Signed as a free agent by Dallas, August 24, 2016.
