Modano and Stars Parting Ways
The 20-year relationship between the Dallas Stars and veteran centre Mike Modano seems to finally be coming to an end. Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk, who is only three years older than Modano, announced that the team will not be offering Modano a contract for the upcoming season.
Regarding the decision, Nieuwendyk said: "We have the upmost respect for Mike Modano. He will always be a huge part of this hockey club. He is a great teammate and a great person. Mike is the face of this franchise. That's what makes this decision so hard."
After two sub-par years where the Stars did not reach the playoffs and a generally declining franchise, Nieuwendyk and his staff have spent this summer seriously discussing the Stars’ team, roster and identity, and how to return the franchise to Stanley Cup form. Due to Modano’s esteemed position on the Stars, Nieuwendyk has also met with the player to discuss the future.
According to Nieuwendyk: "Mike is unclear on whether he will retire or not, and still may decide to play next season. After assessing our roster and where we need to go as a hockey team, we have decided to not offer Mike a contract and allow him to explore free agency on July 1. If Mike decides that he would like to play with another team, we support his wishes. That's part of the reason behind the timing of this announcement; we wanted to be up-front with Mike and give him the option to explore playing for other clubs on July 1 if he chooses."
The decision to sever ties with Modano should allow the Stars to develop their younger forwards, though parting ways with the beloved Modano is certainly rough.
"We have a good number of young guys who are hungry and ready for bigger roles on our team,” said Nieuwendyk. “That's a big part of this decision. These players are ready to step up and play important minutes. We need them to continue their improvement and development if we are to get to where we want to be as a hockey club."
Modano has played for the Stars since 1989, when they were still the Minnesota North Stars. The eight-time All-Star holds numerous franchise and National Hockey League records. He is the Stars’ leader in games played, goals, assists, and points. In addition to this, he also has numerous NHL records for a U.S. born player. These include goals, points, playoff points, and games by a forward.
Modano is undoubtedly a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and it seems likely that he will now retire. It would be almost blasphemous for Modano to even don another team’s jersey, let alone retire in it, after his career-long contribution to the Stars. It’s certainly never an easy decision for a team to let go of a player that has done so much for them, but as a true Star Modano surely understands that he can do more for the team by no longer playing.
Nieuwendyk, himself a former Star, understands this and wants Modano to continue being part of the Stars in a front-office role. He said: “I also feel that Mike needs to be involved with our franchise. While I think it is time for him to stop being a player for the Stars, we plan on talking with our future new owner about a role that would best fit the interests of Mike and the organization. We’re not sure what that is yet, but I can tell you that we want Mike to be very involved, when he is ready. If he goes on to play for another team, we want him to return to the Stars when he is finished and remain a large part of what we do.”
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