Ryan Kennedy and Mike Stephens provide an instant reaction to the Roope Hintz extension. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk0MDkzNzk4MzU0MDY4OTk3/usatsi_19342657.jpg] The Dallas Stars have locked up their man. The Stars kicked off their week with a bang on Tuesday morning, agreeing to terms with forward Roope Hintz on a massive eight-year contract extension that is worth an average annual value of $8.45 million. The deal, which keeps Hintz in Dallas through the 2030-31 season, includes a full no-movement clause from years two through eight and also covers seven years that Hintz would have otherwise been an unrestricted free agent. Ryan Kennedy and Mike Stephens provide an instant reaction to the Roope Hintz extension. Rarely do you find a deal in the NHL that can be considered a win-win. This is one of those deals. Hintz has produced like a legitimate first-line center [https://thehockeynews.com/news/roope-hintz-is-the-star-that-dallas-needs] throughout his tenure as a full-time NHLer thus far, racking up career-highs with 37 goals and 72 points in 80 games in 2021-22 before following it up with an arguably even more impressive eight goals and 24 points through 22 games this season. Now, the former second-round pick is deservedly cashing in big time before he reaches his final restricted free-agent year, establishing himself as one the Stars' franchise faces. And for the team, the Stars get a 26-year-old, top-line player in the middle of his prime who plays a coveted position for a sum that will only look like more of a bargain as the salary cap goes up. Case in point; win-win. Jason Robertson has obviously been the story of the Stars' season thus far, but Hintz has made quite the name for himself, too. And with both players now locked in long-term with the club, the future is looking clearer in Dallas, who nearly two months ago had a murky vision [https://thehockeynews.com/news/what-exactly-are-the-dallas-stars].
