Faksa hopes new deal helps him remain with Stars 'forever'

Radek Faksa reminds me a lot of Jere Lehtinen.
And not just in the fact the two are great defensive forwards who also can score a goal or two.

Faksa
recently signed a five-year contract extension with the Stars
and said Monday he just wanted to get a long deal where he didn't have to worry about it anymore. Sure, he wanted a fair paycheck, and he got that with a cap hit of $3.25 million, but what he really desired was security and a chance to play hockey again.
Lehtinen was always the same way. He loved the organization, loved the chance to win, and loved playing hockey. The rest? Well, that will get taken care of somehow.
"I told my agent I want to sign a long-term deal, I want to concentrate on the hockey and don't worry about contracts for the next few years," Faksa said. "Obviously, taking five I don't want to worry about this stuff and just play hockey."
That philosophy has helped make Faksa one of the most effective and respected players on the Stars. The 26-year-old forward was drafted 13th overall by Dallas in 2012 and helped the Texas Stars win the AHL championship in 2014. He started his NHL career in 2015 and has been a fixture on the Stars since. He has played 351 regular season games (fourth most behind Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg) and 45 playoff games in the past five seasons.
"Radek … he's a Dallas Star," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "How he plays the game; off the ice, how he is; respecting the organization, the fans; he's a Dallas Star. He made it very clear he wants to be here."

And that carries a lot of weight in the dressing room. Faksa is a leader on the team and has centered the checking line for the past two seasons with Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano. When Faksa broke his wrist in Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Stars lost a key player and it probably affected their ability to compete with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.
The "FCC" line typically started games for interim coach Rick Bowness and often went out on the ice right after a goal was scored for or against. Bowness likes to use that line to set a hard-working tone that the rest of the team can build off of.
"They love the role they have with our hockey club. They know their role is not only to shut down the opposition line, but to give us momentum. They give us momentum because they are structurally sound, they're very consistent, they finish their hits, and they don't give up much on the rush," Bowness said in the playoffs. "That's a very important line for our hockey club. They don't get recognition because they don't score a lot, but that doesn't matter. They're just as important to our team as any line we have."
And while the line can get criticized for lack of scoring at times, Faksa finds a way to put in his points. He has been a consistent 30-point guy in his three full NHL seasons and has 60 goals in 351 career games. During the playoffs, he became a net-front presence on the second power play unit and chipped in three goals and five assists.
"He's got a lot of different skillsets," Nill said of the center who is listed at 6-3, 220. "He's a big heavy body, he plays the game hard, he's no fun to play against. He a guy the coaches trust in any zone. He goes out against the best lines, he's taking big draws, he's a great penalty killer and he's added a little bit of power play to his repertoire now. You can never have enough of those types of guys."
Especially when they have a visible desire to win that can become contagious. Faksa missed the final eight games of the playoff run, including every game in the finals because of his broken wrist. He said it's a driving motivation left over from a season that was mostly good.
"The core of the team is really strong, and that already showed in the regular season when we were losing, and we never gave up and we always came back," Faksa said. "I think the core of the team is really good and we can do that again, we can get to the finals. Especially me, what I experienced in the finals, when I get back, even more I want to win the Stanley Cup."

Nill said it was enjoyable working out the details of the contract. He said he wanted Faksa to feel secure and happy, and that he was pleased to get such a good player under contract for the long-term.
"In the end, it worked out well," he said. "I was happy for him, and he was happy, so it's a good deal."
Nill still has to get forwards Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz signed to contract extensions. Because both are restricted free agents, the Stars retain their rights and the sides simply have to find the right price and term. Thus, getting the Faksa deal done and
signing defenseman Mark Pysyk in free agency
gives Dallas a deep roster for next season, whenever it begins.
"We're in a good spot. Our goalies are taken care of, our back end is taken care of, get the two RFAs signed, that's pretty much it for us," Nill said. "We like where we're at, we like our depth. Right now, the organization is in a good spot."
And that's one of the reasons Faksa said he was so happy to sign a long-term deal.
"I'm happy I'm with the same organization (that drafted me). It shows they are happy with my work," Faksa said.
I will try to be the best every season and I would be happy to be with the Dallas Stars forever. Hopefully, I will play just for Dallas Stars."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.