Radek’s return: Faksa excited to be back for second stint with Stars

Radek Faksa had a nice moment on Saturday night.

The longtime Stars center, who went to St. Louis for a year last season, returned to Dallas as a free agent this past summer. And when he was announced as a starter before the Stars’ first preseason game at American Airlines Center, the crowd greeted him with a thunderous ovation.

“Obviously that will bring you some confidence,” said the 31-year-old Faksa. “I’m excited to be back here.”

Faksa has been a lineup regular and a fan favorite for much of the past decade. Drafted in the first round (13th overall) in 2012, he played more than 600 games over nine seasons and added 69 more postseason contests. Now, after signing a three-year contract, he’s hoping to add to a team that has a good chance to go the distance.

“That’s kind of why I wanted to come back because I know how good the team is and how close we were in the last five, six years,” Faksa said. “That’s really important for me because I’m not a young player anymore. That’s the main reason why I want to be back.”

The great thing about Faksa’s age is he still can make an impact. At 6-3, 215, he is a big body who can check hard and win puck battles. With a decade of experience, he can win faceoffs and go toe-to-toe with some of the best players in the league.

“I think he’s maybe one guy that we’ve been missing at times,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. “You probably would’ve loved to have a Faksa last year at different times. So, it’s great to have him back. It’s pretty much like he was just here.”

Faksa even said, “I feel like I never left.”

That said, he did. The Stars needed to make some changes and accrue some cap space last summer, so they traded him to the Blues for “future considerations.” That was tough to take. However, he made the most of his time in St. Louis, playing 70 games and tallying 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists). Even more impressive, he had 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 7 playoff games.

“Hockey-wise, I had a great time in St. Louis,” Faksa said. “It was something new for me. I never played anywhere else. It was a great experience for me. I have nothing bad to say about St. Louis. But I’m happy to be back.”

Because this really is his home.

“Obviously, it was really emotional to leave Dallas because we spent so much time here,” Faksa said. “I spent like a third of my life here. It’s like my second home here. It was tough for the whole family to move. Both of our kids were born here, so it was tough to leave.”

And that’s why Saturday was such a nice homecoming. Now, he just has to find the right fit with a full roster in a full regular season under a new coaching staff.

“It was a good first game,” he said of a 2-1 shootout win against the Blues. “That’s what you need, you need to get through it and you’ll feel better every game.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.