Roman Polak
Up north of the border this past season, clunky defenseman Roman Polak somehow got into 54 regular season games. In said 54 games, the defenseman posted 12 points, including 2 goals. That low level of offensive production is simply unacceptable on a team that considers itself a serious cup contender. For some reason, the Dallas Stars signed Polak this offseason coming off of a terrible season.
This past season, Polak’s advanced stats were outright egregious. Although it is worth noting that the defenseman started 60% of the time in the defensive zone, his 47.9 CF% was still nearly three whole points lower than the team average. Polak’s inability to drive possession hindered a talented forward group.
The contract Polak is on (one year, $1.3 million) is a manageable deal for the Stars. In all likelihood, the defenseman will be a starter for something in the neighborhood of 40 or 50 games. The Stars have a strong right side on their depth chart, but Polak for whatever reason has stuck around in the league.
Put it like this, Polak’s zone exit and entry stats are even worse than Staal’s. That alone should put in perspective just how slow and ineffective of a player Polak is in today’s NHL. Players that don’t have the ability to skate their way out of trouble or have soft enough hands to pass out of trouble do not fit what a successful team needs.